Untitled
by Shinku no yuki
Summary: Rima is born into a world of ignorance and protection. With her weak heart, the only thing she lives for is family and dancing. She knows of nothing else. But when her simple life shatters where will she turn to? Where will she find her happiness? ShiMaOC
1. The Beginning

The Beginning – Chapter 1

Ever since I was conceived into this world, there was only one thing that I lived for. Dancing. And I loved dancing. All the neighbors and townspeople would come gather around the town square after a long days work and watch me dance. They couldn't help but feel enchanted by the almost magical movements, and it would set them at ease. They would smile and in the process, it made me smile. Mother said I had a gift, and because of my weak heart, I was glad I had some usefulness in the world. I couldn't do field work for more than a few minutes at a time nor housework. But somehow, dancing made my heart come alive. There was no weakness when I danced. I felt whole. I was happy in my sheltered and protected life with my mother and father.

One evening, I was out later than usual after several repeated performances at the town square. Mother and Father had to leave early so I had to walk home by myself. Our house was situated at the very outskirts of the town for there was much land Father could use for crops. The walk was long, but I wasn't the one to complain. I had learned at a young age that it was best not to voice my discomfort and use my condition as an excuse. By the time I caught sight of my little cottage, the sky had already darkened, and the bright oranges of the sunset were no longer visible. Seeing I was so close to my home, I walk a little faster, my small barefoot feet kicking up dust on the worn out path. Vaguely I remembered that today was my tenth birthday. As soon as I got home, Mother would probably shower me with kisses, while Father stood at a distance, standing erect and looming, but secretly happy. I smiled. There was no need for an extravagant celebration. With my condition, these simple gestures were enough to make me content.

As I drew still nearer to the small lodge though, I felt a chill tingle up my spine. I look over my shoulder but nothing was there. Somehow the scene looked all too quiet. In the distance, a crow squawked. Crows were common in town but somehow the sound set my heart at unease. My breath coming out in short huffs from the strain, I quickened my pace, hoping what I felt was but a figment of my untamed imagination.

Reaching the door, I held my hand out, pushing the door slowly open, producing a creaking sound. "Mother, Father, I'm home," I called out. The light produced by the moon's gleam illuminated the small cottage from the opening of the door. There were two bodies lying on the floor, both of which I recognized. The first one was my father, his burly figure nearly dwarfing the body right next to him, my mother. They were both still, so horrifyingly still. Blood pooled around their bodies. I bent down and touched my mother's cold face, streaking my hands in her blood, tracing the subtle contours of her wasted face. I lifted my head and stared into cold blooded red eyes. I screamed as the world turned black.

_._

"_Rima, your dancing is so wonderful, it makes me proud to have such a talented little girl." I felt my mother's seemingly large but fairy-like fingers cup my face. "You were born for a reason Rima, and that reason is dancing. It brings joy to people's faces, a sweet haven in which to indulge. You are a haven Rima, a beautiful angel sent from above to bring out people's happiness. Never forget that."_

"Mother. Mother. No don't leave me. Mother! MOTHER!" I woke up with a start. I looked frantically around the room, hoping what had happened last night was only a bad dream and any moment now Mother would come in and comfort me. But nobody came. I sat alone on my thin mattress, rocking myself back and forth, waiting. Light streaked through the dirt-tinted windows, indicating that it was still early in the morning. Songbirds chirped outside, radiating their beauty through song. A long time ago, I would have gladly listened to their tune. Now it seemed obsolete. The world no longer shown in brilliant illumination, there was only sorrow, pain. Vaguely I remembered the face I saw, that cruel face. I shuddered and dismissed the thought at once. It was nothing but my imagination. I stared down at my hands, tears forming as I remembered touching my Mother's face, feeling how cold it was, how lifeless. Where would I go now? I had no relatives; this secluded town was the only place I knew of. When I could formulate no answer, I cried, pitifully wrapping my blanket around my huddled form.

After a few minutes I came to realize that was a person standing next to me, but the tears did not stop flowing. The person stood for a few moments before leaving the room, only to come back with a class of milk and a roll of bread. He bent down and offered me the bread, but after seeing my devastation, tore off a piece and hand fed me. I looked up and met dark green eyes, like jade. He smiled and offered me a hand. I could only stare, not wanting to be hurt again. But his eyes, so warm, his intentions so sympathetic. After a few hesitant moments, I delicately curled my small fingers around his palm and let him help me stand up. With his other hand, the man offered me the glass of milk, and I tentatively took it, taking a few meager sips off the top. The young man looked no older than 17 and had sandy brown hair with a lean build. He smiled kindly at me and patted my head as I finished my inadequate breakfast.

When I was done, the young man outstretched his hand and I handed him the still half full glass. He was about to turn to leave but I caught hold of his shirt, firmly not letting this kind man out of my sight. He smiled again and set the glass on the floor, sitting down with me on the mattress, soothing my hair like a baby. After a few peaceful moments, my curiosity spurred. Who was this man? Why was he here? Did I know him? Many more questions swam around in my head and finally I couldn't hold on to them any longer. I tugged on the man's shirt.

He looked down and smiled at me, his green eyes shimmering. "Yes, Rima?" So he knew my name too. I opened my mouth several times, but couldn't find a correct way to make the sentence I needed. I raised my head and stared into his green eyes, hoping he knew what I wanted to know.

The young man sighed. "I thought you'd eventually want to know Rima. I'm sure you realize your parents are dead." He soothed my hair some more when he felt me flinch at the word. Suddenly his eyes turned cold and stern, the exact opposite of what I saw in him before. "They were killed by a vampire."

I looked at his eyes, hoping it was a joke. It wasn't, I knew what I had seen that horrible night. A vampire.


	2. The Mansion

The Mansion – Chapter 2

My baffled expression eventually led to another break down. The elders had always told stories of a time long ago, when vampires roamed freely, devouring everything in their paths. They had said it was a time of darkness until the human population grew so immensely that the vampires had to live away in secret. Many today didn't believe in them or refused to believe but small towns, like mine, were often superstitious. Mother and Father never believed in the stories, they had told me when I was younger, that they were only stories, nothing more. How wrong they were. At least this time I wasn't alone in my misery, the green-eyed young man was there to comfort me. I knew I still didn't know anything about this man, why he was here, and what he wanted with me, but what did it matter? I was alone in the world, my happiness was broken, the shards much too small to pick up.

After my sniffling had quieted some, the man cleared his throat. "It is about time we go Miss Rima, keeping the Master waiting would not be pleasant." The young man got up, gently pulling me up as well.

"Master?" I asked questionably. _Master, what master? _

The man sighed. "I really didn't want to have to tell you this right now…" He looked at me and gently wiped away a tear from my tearstained face. "The townspeople gave you away to my Master."

I stared at him, dumbfounded. They gave me away? Why? I had done nothing wrong, and I knew them all like an extended family. How could they do this to me? Slowly, I sank back down onto my mattress, the weight of the information too much for me to handle.

"Why?" The question was addressed to the man. He seemed to have all the answers.

"They're afraid, Rima. After you passed out, a man walked by your house just in time to see the vampire about to kill you as well. He raised an alarm all over the town and the townspeople chased the dreadful creature away but they were still afraid it would come back to feed on more people. Sense you had no relatives; you had nowhere to go, so they gave you away to anybody willing. My Master was interested in your dancing skills and accepted the offer. He sent me to come pick you up and he expects us back by nightfall." Again the man put me to my feet, softly leading me to the door.

I yanked my arm back and stared at him with furious eyes. "I don't want to go! All I ever wanted was to live a happy life with my mother and father! Why can't I be happy? Why does everybody hate me?" I screamed the words at him, even though they weren't directed at him but destiny itself. He looked surprised at first but then the expression melted away into one of sympathy. Kneeling, he hugged me and because he was a great deal taller than me, my face went into his shoulder. When I thought I had no more tears to give, they flowed once more from my sapphire eyes, staining the man's shirt, which I now noticed was a butler's uniform.

"It'll be okay, Rima. I promise you that your misfortune will be over soon. Meanwhile, I'll be your friend." He broke the embrace and took my hand, his large hand enveloping mine. His eyes glowed with empathy and compassion, I knew he wasn't lying.

I realized I had yet to learn his name. "Sir, what is your name?"

"Hanaru."

I took my first steps away from ignorance.

_._

The journey to my new home was long and tiring. My mind phased in and out of consciousness during the trip. At times I saw my parents and my chest would hurt and I would cry. During those times Hanaru calmed me down. Other times I dreamt about my new life; what it would be like and why I was chosen for my dancing. When I woke up from these dreams, Hanaru's expression would harden and I knew that there was something he knew that I did not. We arrive by nightfall, as Hanaru had hoped.

As I got off the carriage, the sight that beheld me nearly made me faint. The house, no mansion, that stood before me was stately, refined, and majestic, three things that I had never been exposed to in the world. I had to grab onto Hanaru's sleeve to make sure that I wasn't still in a dream. I was not.

Hanaru led me down a long bright corridor, and I kept looking to and fro at all the magnificent pictures hung on the walls and the chandeliers that hung from the ceiling. How different this new life is compared to my old! Every corner of the long corridor was clean; no speck of dust was to be seen. Suddenly feeling self conscious of my dirty self, I held onto Hanaru's sleeve tighter, trying as hard as possible not to soil the sparkling floor. We walked to a set of towering oak doors, but while my eyes turned round with amazement, Hanaru's turned dead cold.

He knelt down in front of me to reach my eye level. "This is as far as I can accompany you Miss Rima, you have to walk through those doors alone. Please be cautious and whatever you do, accept what he tells you and do not contradict him." I nodded my head, feeling his worry fuel mine. After my confirmation, Hanaru abruptly stood up and turned to leave. "If you need to talk to me, go to the kitchen and tell the cook to find me. She will know where to look." With that he left, turning a corner into one of many in the long hallway.

I took in a breath and pushed the grand doors open. Classical music had obviously been playing because the instruments abruptly stopped when I entered. People stopped their conversations and turned to look at me. Their faces were all glorious, like everything in this mansion. The ladies wore jewelry of every sort, from earrings to bracelets to hair pieces. The gentlemen were equally as pleasant with their spotless black shoes and satin gloves. All of them had on regal rich-looking clothes that shown in the lighting of the room. I, in my plain cotton dress, stood out like a sore thumb. There was only a minute of silence before they started whispering among themselves.

"Is that the dancer? How small she is! She is rather pretty for a commoner don't you think?" Questions such as those circulated around the room, nobody even trying to keep their voices low.

In the mass of confusion, two burly men shifted through the crowd that was slowly forming around me. The first took me by the arm and dragged me harshly forward while his companion walked ominously behind us. They both had rigid remote eyes that were as black as coal and were the polar opposite of Hanaru. Finally they dragged me to the front of the spacious room and there stood a man quite husky in size. His clothes and the way he held himself just radiated regal in every way. He had golden rings on almost every one of his large fingers and I was sure the coat of his suit was lined with gold as well. A few stately women stood around him, smiling flirtatiously while batting their eyelashes. The rest of the woman, or rather girls, were the ones that caught my attention. Each one of them had blank stares, most of them dirty and all of them dressed in skin-showing clothes. They looked like…slaves. The worst of it was that most were around my age, only a few of the girls looked to have reached their teens. A line of sympathy and sadness crossed each of their faces as they saw me being dragged in front of the man who was surely the master of the house.

"Address your new Master, girl!" The second man pushed me so I was standing directly in front of the man. I opened my mouth, but I could form no coherent sentence. He my _Master_? A rebellious part of my mind struggled with the concept, refusing to believe it.

With my lengthening silence, the man's eyes narrowed. Without warning he barked a one-word order, "Dance."

When I didn't move, one of the men who escorted me came and slapped me on the face. With his strength and my small frame, I toppled over and hit my head on the hard marble floor. My heart gave a jolt as I gasped for air. Struggling to get up, I grasped my chest, coughing.

I expected to hear a collective gasp from everybody that witnessed the cruel act, maybe one or two to even protest it. But instead, they laughed. They laughed at my pain, my weakness. The only ones who didn't find humor in my misfortune were the girls next to the Master and the two bodyguards.

"Did you not hear what your Master just said? Dance!" snapped the first bodyguard.

I stood up and quietly dusted off my dress. In my mind I remembered what Hanaru had said outside the grand doors. Now I knew why he had held such a disgusted look. I didn't want to dance for them for they were only cruel strangers to me. They didn't appreciate my gift. They saw me as a toy, something to use until they grew tired of my service. I didn't want to dance, but I had no choice. I may have walked out of ignorance but now I had just walked into a cage.

Taking a deep breath, I closed my eyes. Hanaru's face appeared and it made me feel slightly more comfortable. Yes, I would dance, but never for them. Extended my foot, I prepared for my starting leap. I would dance for my freedom. _One day I'll leave this wretched place. One day I'll be free, I will finally be able to spread my wings and fly far, far away. _

When I was done, nobody spoke, nobody moved. Even the Master himself seemed speechless. I breathed deeply in and out, letting my fluttering heart calm down.

Master was the first out of the shock and he waved his hand for me to leave. His body guards immediately began to usher me out of the room but this time I was the one leading. My services were done for the night.

As soon I left through those two miserable doors, I ran desperately despite my condition in search of Hanaru, the tears already beginning to fall.

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_WHOOOOO~! :D I got the next chappie out in only 2 days~! _

_Now I bet you're wondering why you're looking at this 4 days after the first chappie was out. Well, I was lazy so I sorta just left the document here without putting it out xD Ah, don't kill me please . Suspense is good for you guys after all, it keeps you more hooked :P_

_So about this chapter, like, dislike? Hows Hanaru? I like him frankly, he's cool :D He becomes cooler later but Shiki still beats him :D Personally, I like this chapter, and probably you guys reallize this doesn't seem like VK Rima at all...she'll emerge :3_

_Oh and Shiki will appear later, I'm moving as fast as I can to get to him but I have to develop Rima's relationship with Hanaru :3 And I have to come up with the rest of the storyline as well xD Give me time, I'm moving pretty fast already._

_Note: Story titles now anybody? ._

_Second Note: Review and you shall be loved forever and a day, but after that I want it back please xD_

_Third Note: VK obvioiusly doesn't belong to me, I don't draw nearly as good as Hino-sempai._


	3. The Savior

The Savior – Chapter 3

When you've reached the bottom, there's no place to go but up.

Remembering Hanaru's words, I ran in search of the kitchen to find the cook. The long passages were confusing, with so many twists and turns, I soon got lost. I wandered aimlessly through the hallways, using the voices of people to guide me. Various maids and butlers passed by me, too busy to attend to the needs of an insignificant child. As the prospect of finding Hanaru or anybody who would listen to my story grew dimmer, my resolve was crumbling as well. Sinking down against a wall, I pulled up the corner of my dress to wipe away a tear. Again people of all sorts walked passed me, some looked at my direction but did nothing, while most ceased to even acknowledge my presence. People of all status walked past me, from ladies and lords, to the girls I had witnessed earlier. They were usually dragged against their will by an older man, their eyes conveying the deepest of distress. I felt sorry for them and I could see as they looked at me that soon I would be sharing the same fate. After awhile I gave up entirely on ever finding Hanaru or trusting any of these people to help me. They didn't care, none of them. The faces of the servants were blank and emotionless while the faces of the regales were cruel and cold.

Gradually, as the night wore on, the amount of people in the hall started to lessen, causing me to hyperventilate slightly. I got up, using the wall for support for my hungry and aching body. Same as before, I followed the direction a voice and found myself coming face to face with a lord. He was rather drunk, the way his body swayed from side to side slightly showed that. His hair was a complete mess, as was his clothes though they still shown with the same extravagant beauty as before. In his right hand held a half empty liquor bottle which from time to time he would take a sip out of. His giddy laugh ringed through the corridor and I shrunk into the wall, terrified that I would be found. When he finally walked passed where I sat huddled, I breathed a sigh of relief, feeling better that he hadn't noticed me. I got up and patted off my dress, thinking the crisis had been adverted when the man's hand reached out suddenly and grabbed my wrist. Another hand covered my mouth just as fast, preventing me from screaming. He had not ignored me. I tried to fight him but with both my condition and my weakened state, there was no hope of me being able to throw him off. He threw his body weight against me, causing me to be slammed against the wall. My heart jolted and my breath came out in small rasps. The man smiled cold-heartedly, his hand moving away from my mouth to grip my hair. At this point I was too weak to even scream. I had long given up on being saved. I was just too pathetic, too weak to defend for myself. His hand glided from my hair down to my neck, lightly stroking it. His grip tightened without warning and I coughed, the world starting to shift in and out of blackness.

"You're as beautiful as you dance. I'm going to have a lot of fun with you." His smile was one of pure evil. Using the hand that was not gripping my wrist, he reached down to the end of my dress and slowly began to pull it up. I whimpered; it was all I could do. He lifted the dress higher and higher, exposing more and more of me. His hand came to my inner thigh but it stopped. In the next second, a strong arm pulled the horrible man off of me and he was knocked to the ground.

I saw a glimpse of dark sapphire eyes before protective arms wrapped around me and I heard an unfamiliar voice. "Rima, it will be okay." There was such determination, such sincerity in the voice that I believed my savior in an instant. He repeated the words over and over, his voice like velvet, so soothing. I fell unconscious hearing that angel of a voice.

_._

_ I sat up, looking at my surroundings. Where was I? Soft, plush grass grew beneath where I sat, extending itself in all directions. Trees circled around where I sat, creating a small circle. The sun shone, the birds sang, but something didn't seem right. Again I asked that internal question. Where was I? I tried to think back, tried to remember what had happened. Nothing, blank. _

_ Suddenly I heard a velvet, honey-like voice call my name, "Rima." Somehow the voice sounded familiar and I found myself slowly crawling towards the direction. When I reached to the end of the plush grass, I stopped. Beyond where I was, in the trees, lay darkness. There wasn't a ray of sunshine from where I could see. But that voice called, that sweet angelic voice. "Rima. Rima." _

_ "Who are you?" I called back, frantic to find the owner of that engaging voice. The voice said nothing, but a hand extended from the shadows of the trees, reaching out to me, begging me to take it._

_ "Rima, it will be okay." That hit me like a hammer. I knew who he was. My savior. I reached out and…_

"Rima! Rima! Are you okay?" I woke up from my dream to stare into Hanaru's worried jade eyes. The sunlight shone through my room, the rays dancing on my skin.

"Hanaru…what–" I barely uttered a few words before the events of last night hit me like a tidal wave.

I sat up suddenly. "Where is he?" I tried to get out of the soft bed I was on but a pair of hands stopped me.

"He?" Hanaru asked questionably while gently pushing me back down.

"The man who saved me last night."

It was only for brief second but Hanaru's eyes seemed to narrow slightly at the utterance of that sentence. He cast his glance downward as he murmured his reply. "Lord Shiki saved you." There was a mocking tone on the word 'saved' but I dismissed it entirely as soon as I learned the name. I opened my mouth to ask more but at that moment, the Master barged into the room.

Fury seemed to seem from his soul as he made his way to the bed. He pointed one commanding finger at the door. "Out." The word sent chills down my spine. Hanaru stood definite in from of the Master for a moment before backing off and advancing to the door. Casting one last sorrowful look at me, Hanaru close the door, locking me in with my Master's wrath. Unable to keep my glance at Master's formidable face, I stared downward, twiddling my thumbs, waiting for his rage at my incompetence. I waited, but nothing came. Just as I was about to feel slightly less uncomfortable, Master raised a hand and I flinched away from it, my fear returning. That made him angry.

He smacked me on the backside of my head, momentarily blurring my vision. "You _stupid _child! You can't even protect yourself with your feeble body! If you didn't have such a gift for dancing, I would have cast you to the streets by now. But Lord Shiki has apparently taken a liking to you." He grunted and sneered. "You're lucky, _runt_. I'll give you that much."

Gripping me by my tiny wrist, Master dragged me off the bed. "Lord Shiki has also requested your presence." He walked briskly to the door, not caring that I could barely keep pace with him.

"What the hell happened?!" Master said as he opened the door. There standing at the front of Master was the most perfect human being I had ever seen. His statue was one that showed status but at the same time, he did not seem pompous. He had a kind smile to his face, followed by flawless contours of his body. There was chestnut-brown hair that was messily styled to perfection to top it all off. But by merely looking at his eyes, those passionate, dark sapphire eyes, I knew in an instant who he was. My savior, Lord Shiki.

Although Lord Shiki was the image of a divine being, the person behind him was what had initially caught Master's attention. Standing behind Lord Shiki was Hanaru, one arm limp at his side while the other was supported again the wall. There was a deep, angry scowl on his face. Blood dripped down his limp arm.

Lord Shiki took one glance behind him and shrugged, halfheartedly. "Just a little mishap. Nothing that a few bandages wouldn't fix."

"Well what do you have to say about it, eh?" Master said with grown impatience. When Hanaru remained silent, Master roared and stormed off.

Even though he was quite a long ways away, our little group could still him screaming his orders. "Hanaru don't just stand there you deuce! Go the infirmary to get that bandaged. And I leave her in your hands Lord Shiki."

With that Lord Shiki walked briskly down the corridor, away from Hanaru. After a few moments, Lord Shiki realized I had reached my limit so he slowed his pace to a light walk.

I tugged on his shirt. "Um, Lord Shiki is–" A finger to my lips silenced me. Two deep sapphire eyes stared into my soul. "Rima, could you call me something a little less formal? It makes our conversations quite awkward."

Grappling with the request, I restarted my question. "Um, Shiki-sama, will Hanaru be fine left by himself?"

"Yes." The answer was short and dispassionate. That attitude cut off any other questions I had laying around in my head. The rest of my trip was silent, Shiki-sama's cold hand tethering me to the real world.

We arrived in front of a set of gold encrusted doors; in fact, every set of doors along this hallway had at least some sparkling metal on it. Shiki-sama lightly pushed against the two doors and they completely opened up to him, as if welcoming him to his room with open arms. His room was nearly as magnificent as Shiki-sama himself. Everything sparkled with perfection and again I felt obsolete against such beauty. Letting go of my hand for a few mere moments, he disappeared around a corner only to return with a glass of pure water in one hand and a dainty glass of wine in the other. He sat down on his plush couch, his clothes perfectly coordinated with the colors of his furniture. Swirling the glass full of wine, Shiki-sama took a sip, made a sort of disgusted face and set the glass down.

He picked up the water and handed it to me while motioning for me to sit down. I shook my head. He laughed. It was the most beautiful sound I had ever heard.

"I know you have many questions for me Rima," Shiki-sama said suddenly, "but I have one request for you before you ask." His face lit up, the bored expression he wore in front of Master gone, matching the intensity he had locked away in his eyes. "Dance."

It was the same command I was given on my friend day of this dreaded place. But somehow this command didn't feel quite as foreign or unwelcomed. I looked at Shiki-sama's face and knew that he would be the person to really appreciate my gift.

"Of course," I said as I spread my wings and prepared to fly.

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_Hey a cheesy ending to a chapter, I was out of ideas, so sue me. :3 Don't really sue me though. You'd get like 5 bucks probably. xD_

_Anyway, I know its been awhile since I last updated but I haven't felt like writing a whole bunch lately D: Partly 'cause only two people reviewed my last chappie. That made me sad DD: See how you guys effect me?! REVIEW. Please._

_Now about the chappie...yeah Rima doesn't seem like VK Rima really. Oh well. Too bad. I like this Rima, shes cool :3 Shiki is AMAZING as always and Hanaru....hmm something mysterious about him. Guesses? :D_

_And if anybody is wondering, I don't know like what dancers do and stuff, so I can't really describe it when Rima dances. Its not that cool D: Help?_

_Plus I still need a title. So many problems, so little time..._

_VK is NOT under any circumstance, mine. D: Boo hoo._


	4. The Truth

The Truth – Chapter 4

Time passed. The daily guests of the mansions routinely changed with the passing years. Servants were cast to the streets and others were hired to take their place. The mansion itself seemed to age with the flow and ebb of time. Throughout this occasion, I grew; I was now nearing 17 years. Seven years I spent within this mansion, my cage. I learned things I shouldn't have, expressed emotions that shouldn't have been expressed. My mind grew sharper but at the same time colder. I learned to shut my feelings off to strangers and in turn they would leave me alone. I danced, like a doll or a puppet, with strings attached to my arms and legs, no emotion nor warmth in my movements. Never did I forget that pledge I made to myself, I was still dancing for my freedom and with every step I took, I was that much closer to reach my goal.

After my incident, I learnt the true meaning of why I was brought to this god forsaken mansion. A slave. Master kept slaves, little girls who had any talent of some sort to entertain his guests at his extravagant parties. They were the ones who played the melodic music on my first day coming; they were the ones who worked tirelessly to survive. The girls had poor rations, barely any to keep themselves sustained. However, they still worked, day and night, for as long as Master's parties would go on. If you showed any signs of fatigue or lack of skill, Master would sell you off to the highest bidder. Often I would wake up in the middle of the night, terrified, at the screaming I would hear as a poor girl was being raped by her new owner. After I would cry for hours, sorry for the girl and her virginity, sorry for her mistreatment, and sorry that it couldn't have been me to be sold in her place. I was the one with the weak heart, why couldn't he have sold me? But I was special. I wasn't treated like the other slaves for I got reasonable food and acceptable clothing. I slept on lush beds while the others usually had to fight for a spot on a dirty, old mattress. It was never a surprise to hear in the morning that one of the girls died at night due to hypothermia or if another died due to a mere cold. She would be given a proper burial and Master would just get another girl to replace her. I was grateful but at the same time I felt horrible. The other girls would scorn and spit on the ground I walked on every time they saw me. They hated my so-called freedom. I wasn't free. What kind of freedom is it to dance on command and be locked in a mansion, never to go outside? At least they could leave the house whenever they desired, to feel the grass beneath their feet, the sun's warm rays dancing off their skin. I could only watch, wishing desperate that I could one day to feel that.

I would never openly express my disapproval when Master was around, I knew better than that. However, I would cry nearly every chance I could get when he wasn't around. Even in my despair, I had the comfort of knowing that I wasn't alone in my sorrow. Whenever I felt any discontentment, Hanaru would be there, comforting me and cheering me up. He was one of the few servants that Master seemed to actually like. I later learned that Hanaru was brought up in the mansion; his whole family line had always been servants to Master's family.

As another "special" privilege, Master let me roam the house as long as I like during the day as long as I didn't step into the outside world. He always kept me strictly caged in, so he could come and pluck me whenever he liked. Fortunately however, I spent most of my time during Master's parties entertaining Shiki-sama. He, somehow, didn't look as if he had aged one bit. His face held the same cold, impassive mask he would wear around the other guests. His eyes were the same dark sapphire blue that held so much life. Throughout the passing time, he remained still, as if he was forever frozen at his age. But my feelings for him grew. It was a childish thing to think that Shiki-sama, my savior and companion, would ever hold the same feelings I held for him.

Often, the time we spent together was not based upon me entertaining him but rather him entertaining me. He would weave magnificent stories about distant lands and fearsome warriors that captivated me to no end. Always, he talked most feverishly about stories of vampires, his eyes growing an unusual kind of excited as he told his tale. The stories he conjured up were very much unlike the ones I had heard during my innocent childhood, about vengeful, blood thirsty, cold vampires that fed on the lives of poor humans. His stories were about good vampires, ones that wanted to peaceful coincide with humans that battled with the bad ones to bring tranquility. Those stories always made me to stop and think but then my mind would flash back to the faithful night and I would shake away my absurd thoughts. Vampires lived to kill. There was no such thing as "good" vampires.

_._

It was in the middle of winter, and I could help but let my childish instincts shine through as I pressed my face eagerly against the window pane, looking happily at the gentle snow that was falling. There was a week until Christmas and Master had kindly let all the servants go home to their families to spend a few days at their homes. Unfortunately, nearly three-quarters of the household had no family or lived too far away to return home so the mansion was only slightly less packed then before. Most of the servants spent Christmas at this time, as they would have no time to celebrate as Master would always throw another extravagant gathering of some sort on the appointed date. I always insisted every year that both Hanaru and Shiki-sama spend Christmas with me even though it was apparent they hated each other. I never knew exactly why but each year I would always beg them to try to come to some middle ground so we could all spend Christmas together. They always both reluctantly agreed. We were in one of the many living rooms situated around the mansion. Hanaru was to my left, gently kindling a fire so that it was the exact right amount of warmth. He was dressed in his usual butler's uniform, gloves and all. The only thing different about his attire was that a single holly pin was stuck on to his vest, put there by yours truly. Shiki-sama was to my far right, putting the last of the ornaments on the Christmas tree. The thing was big; it covered a good corner of the living room. His apparel was much more festive, he had on a white suit; the edges were lined with a glimmering red. There was also a holy pin stuck to his jacket, although it really had no place in the extravagantness of his ensemble. I was content sitting between the two closest people to me in the world. I was so absorbed into my thoughts that I didn't notice Shiki-sama walking near me.

He tapped me on the shoulder. I jumped. He chuckled. "Did I frighten you Rima?"

I stammered, lost in the shadow of his beauty, "U-uh no Shiki-sama, I was just a bit startled that's all."

Shiki-sama turned his attention outside the window to where I was staring before.

"Have you ever felt the snow Rima?" he asked suddenly, startling me again. His movements always seemed so abrupt, so unreal.

"No, I haven't. It never snowed in the village I used to live in. I had never even seen a real Christmas tree until I started living here." I pressed my slight fingers against the frosted window, reminiscing about my short-lived childhood. It had all seemed so long ago when I was so small and so ignorant.

"What did you do for Christmas then Rima? No snow, no tree, it must have been hard."

I sighed. "It was a hard life. My mother and father were always constantly working. I remember the only time Father ever took a break was Christmas morning but it would only be for a few short hours before he started slaving away in the fields again. But it was a content life."

"And you could have stayed content if that _vampire_ hadn't murdered your parents," Hanaru broke in suddenly in a harsh, cold voice. It always seemed that Hanaru had a deep loathing of vampires for he always spoke so horridly about them. From the corner of my eye, I saw Shiki-sama stiffen slightly before relaxing back into his nonchalant posture.

I walked up to both of them and took one of their hands in one of mine. "That may be true, and vampires may be the greatest evil on this earth, but I would have never met you two if that hadn't happened." Taking their hands, I urged them both to sit in front of the warm, beckoning fire. Its fiery arms reached out to us before recoiling back into its protective hearth. "And I'm glad I met you both."

Extending myself, I reached up and pressed my lips softly against Hanaru's cheek then turned and did the same for Shiki-sama. Seeing both their faces turning a slight shade of pink, I giggled.

"A little Christmas present to you both, since I can't afford anything," I laughed, "You should both see your faces!"

Hanaru coughed and turned his head, recomposing himself. Shiki-sama smiled at me as the pink slowly faded away from his pearly white skin. I leaned back and turned my head to once again look at the snow outside the window. Shiki-sama and Hanaru both followed my gaze.

Suddenly, Shiki-sama gripped my waist. "Would you like to go outside?" On my other side, I saw Hanaru's eyes narrow as a scowl began to form on his face.

My whole body felt warm with Shiki-sama's arm around me. The world spun. "O-outside?" My voice quavered, and I felt like fainting.

Shiki-sama chuckled at my reactions. "Yes Rima, outside."

"No. Master would never allow Rima to go outside. It's forbidden," Hanaru said through clenched teeth as he stood up.

Shiki-sama's expressionless expression faultered slightly as he looked up at Hanaru with menacing eyes, "I'll take the blame if he says anything."

I looked from Hanaru to Shiki-sama then to Hanaru again. There was a dangerous aura that always appeared when they were near each other. Neither person never even tried to conceal their hatred for the other, it was apparent on both their faces. A lengthening silence followed.

"Hanaru, can't we go outside for just a second? Just to feel the snow," I said with pleading eyes, trying to calm them both.

Hanaru looked at me for just a second before returning his hostile gaze to Shiki-sama. Finally, he sighed and relaxed his stance. "Fine." I beamed up at him and his exterior softened when he returned my smile. Standing up, I kissed him once, twice, thrice on the cheek, showing my immense gratitude.

He blushed and looked away. "Lets go before I change my mind."

"Right," I said happily, walking in front of them, leading them to the outside.

There was only on two occasions when I had ever even been near the two great doors that separated the mansion's interior from the outside. Master had never allowed me near those doors, frightened I would sneak off as some of the slaves did now and then. The three of use circled the mansion, winding out way through the maze of hallways and eventually ending up at the front of the house.

I rubbed my hands together, excited for my first and only chance to walk outside. My hand reached for the fancy metal door handle, but just as I was about to, Shiki-sama blocked my way, holding up his gold encrusted jacket.

"It's cold outside," he simply said. Hanaru looked at Shiki-sama with a bitter expression before taking off his vest and handing it to me as well.

He turned and helped me slip into the simple black material. "You'll need more than some skimpy jacket."

"Won't you two be cold?" I inquired, after putting the oversized jacket over myself as well.

Both Hanaru and Shiki-sama just shrugged. They both reached out and opened one door from each side. I trembled, nearling toppling over, from the force of the wind pounding against my frail body.

Hanaru pushed against me, keeping me from falling. "Are you alright Rima?"

I could only laugh as I smiled broadly, holding my arms out, letting the wind sweep against my face. "I've never felt so alive!" Confidently, back up by both Shiki-sama and Hanaru behind me, I walked out the doors and stepped into the open air.

_**.**_

"This is wonderful!" I giggled as I twirled around in the snow.

Hanaru walked up to me, holding his hand out. "Perhaps we should go inside Rima, it's getting late."

I flopped down in the snow and nearly fell, feeling for the first time exactly how fatigued my body was. However, my mind raged, feeling more elated then it had in many years. I grasped Hanaru's outstretched hand, helping me sit up in the snow.

Looking in the distance, I saw Shiki-sama's tall silhouette further along the along the snowy field. I called his name. He didn't answer. With Hanaru close behind me, I walked as fast as my tired and pounding heart could let me to Shiki-sama's figure. As I drew closer, I saw another shape in the horizon. As I drew closer to the two silhouettes, something about the way Shiki-sama positioned his body bothered me. His body loomed over the ground, arms out and his fingers extended, looking like a dangerous beast.

"Shiki-sama," I began, close for him to hear me.

He held his hand out, "Stop" he commanded. His eyes glanced back for one second. They were a deep maroon. "Hanaru, keep her safe."

Putting his arms around me, Hanaru nodded. I looked frantically from Shiki-sama to Hanaru to the stranger, completely lost amidst the still chaos. My eyes fell upon the stranger and his lips curved up into a sly smile.

"So this is who you've been with all this time Master Senri." The stranger took a step forward and licked his lips. "She looks absolutely delicious." Shiki-sama growled, shifting his position in front of me.

I shivered; eyes wide as a long buried memory revived itself. Images flashed before my eyes. Blood. Cold eyes. Mother. Father. Vampire. Suddenly, I dropped to the ground, holding my head and shaking. It couldn't be. Not again.

"Rima," Shiki-sama commanded. Although slowly, his voice registered in my mind, bringing me back to reality. I looked up at his eyes. They were a bright maroon now.

As always, Shiki-sama's expression softened when he looked at me. "For Christmas Rima, I give you the truth."

Then he leaped, with impossible speed, toward the man. The man reacted with the same impractical speed, lunging at Shiki-sama, teeth barring. The grappled with each other for only a few seconds before Shiki-sama plunged his arm through the man's chest and it was over. He stood up, raising his bloody arm to his mouth. Sticking his tongue out, he gently licked his finger, staring at me with bright red eyes. I could only stare, not believing what I was seeing.

"I'm a vampire Rima."

_---------------_

_:OO DUN DUN DUNNNN…I'm such a dramatic person :3_

_I know, I know, I've been a BAAAAADDDDDD writer T______T Don't kill me please guys, I'm sorry, I had…family issues to take care of first . Plus I was lazy :]_

_Anyway, I had a sudden inspiration while writing this chappie so expect another chapter soon? I hope._

_Alright, now for some Q & A:_

_To hellopanda23: I actually first got the idea after reading the first chapter of your story, Songstress :3 It inspired me because frankly I'm such a big fan of your writing :D_

_To sachiko haruki: Well in the first three chapters Rima is like 11 (maybe 10 I forgot truthfully .) and Shiki looks around 17 or 18ish but of course he's much older yada yada yada. Lols, even though they're like 6/7 years apart, this story takes place in like the late 1800s or something…so it was…more acceptable? Besides, I'll do something about the age difference later :3_

_To Tina: Even though you didn't really answer a direct question, did this chapter answer it? :D_

_Review, ask questions, I'll be happy to respond ^^_

_VK is not owned by me :]_


	5. The Joke

The Joke – Chapter 5

_I gripped the sides of my head as my brain throbbed painfully inside of it. Thump. Where was I anyway? Thump. I felt a scrawny pillow under my aching head, so much unlike the ones I had slept on in the mansion. Thump. It had been a long time since I last remembered sleeping on such an uncomfortable bed. Thump. Using most of my strength, I hauled myself out of the foreign bed and gasped. The thumping stopped. Frantically grabbing the sides of the bed, I scooted backwards, backing myself up against the rough wall. My body shook and my head hurt so much I felt like I was going to pass out. If only that was the case. I sat staring from my old bed into the room I knew so dearly that held such a crimson memory. I shook my head; this had to be a dream, no more like a nightmare. A cruel, cruel nightmare. Whoever said that whatever you were thinking about the most is what you dream about obviously had no idea what he was talking about._

_It took most of my mentality, but I got off of my bed and stepped on the floor. I realized I was barefoot. If my mind was going to put me through this, at least it could have dreamed about me with shoes on. No matter, it wasn't a big deal anyway. Slowly, taking everything about the little dream cottage and comparing it to my memories, I walked slowly to the doorway. Damn. I was good; everything was the same. Then it hit me. I had been so amazed by my dream recreation of my childhood that I didn't notice the throat-clenching odor. Automatically, I held my breath but somehow the scent seeped into me anyway, causing me to nearly double over. Unfortunately for me, my heart screamed at me, telling me it needed the oxygen. I took a deep breath only to lean over and cough. What is that smell? Taking a step forward, I felt my bare footstep into a type of liquid and it made me stop short. _

_Somewhere in the back of my mind, I knew. I knew what was right next to me. But none of those warning ran through my head as I turned my head and stared into blank, expressionless irises. Time slowed down. My heartbeats felt distant, threatening to stop altogether. Mother! Father! I felt like fainting, like I did last time. I felt like puking, like my body wanted me to. I felt like waking up, like what I wanted to do. Instead, I ran. I ran out of the house, as far was I could before my chest wanted to break open, leaving bloody footprints on the stony ground. _

_Gasping for air, I leaned over, grasping my torso. When I raised my head, I saw him. He looked exactly the same as I had last seen him, despondent expression and all. _

_Shiki-sama._

_His lofty figure was leaned against a half uprooted tree, his head bent down, sending his bangs in front of his eyes. Through the strands of his hair, I was sure I could make out the bright red emanating from his eyes. I looked around, observing the bleak and almost disheartened atmosphere that projected from my surroundings, and understood with striking realization how ironic it was that I would meet Shiki-sama under these conditions. _

_A sobbing heart answered my realization._

_As if he could sense my presence there, and he probably could, Shiki-sama turned his head, and looked at me directly in the eye. In an automatic response, I took a step back. Never in my life had I ever been scared of Shiki-sama. I was now, however, so very, very scared._

_He stood up and faced me. "Rima."_

_"Shiki." It hurt, it did, calling him by that name. I was crying inside, but if there was anything that I learned from living in the mansion was that you never show your true emotions. So I kept my face impassive, matching his in perfect symmetry. _

_He could only look at me sadly at my expression, sending tears into my eyes. I wanted so tenderly to just embrace him, but that snowy night pushed the thought away, leaving my mind numb and so full of pain. _

_Taking a step forward, he spoke. "No honorifics?" _

_"Y-yeah." I wiped my tears away, hoping the motion was quick enough so he wouldn't notice._

_Shiki smiled at me, his eyes so full of sadness. "I guess I can't blame you for doing so, Rima. You have every right."_

_"Why did you bring me here?"_

_"How do you know that I made you dream this?"_

_"So you admit it."_

_"Guilty."_

_Suddenly I just felt like screaming at his face. I had never felt such anger, especially not towards him. Frankly, it surprised even myself, and I found myself shaking all over from the tension. "Why? Why bring me here?"_

_"I needed to know if you were okay."_

_"So you think after seeing the man you trusted your life with tell you that he was a vampire that that person would be okay?" _

_Both of us were surprised by the calmness in my voice. "I'm sorry."_

_I shook my head, taking a step back. "No, you're not Shiki. I don't think you get it– you lied to me. How can I trust you?"_

_"You can't."_

_"You just have a simple answer for everything don't you?" He shrugged, and it infuriated me._

_"Do you think that if had I told you on that very first day that you wouldn't have turned and ran screaming?" There was only a touch of annoyance in his voice, but it was there, growing stronger._

_I felt my hold on the situation slip just a little bit. He saw me falter. In the second it took me to recover, he was already in front of me, covering the distance between us in a mere heartbeat. _

_He reached out–_

–_I stepped back, frightened written all over my face._

_"Don't get any closer." He stopped._

_"I care about you Rima. That's why you have to understand that I didn't tell you to protect you. I don't want to hurt you." His silver-blue eyes reflected his sincerity. _

_Everything he said was perfectly sensible._

–_But the word vampire kept smacking me in the face. _

_I looked him–his lean tall figure, his flawless radiant skin, his perfectly despondent face with that chestnut-brown hair–and soaked it all in. At the very least, I wanted to remember Shiki in this state, not the vampire that was lurking so close behind. Lastly I stared into those silver-blue eyes that had always made my heart pump faster. That hadn't chanced at least. I smiled a sad, departing smile._

_Then I said the words that broke both our hearts into pieces._

"_Good-bye Shiki, I never want to see you again." I couldn't help the tears streaming down my face._

_As good as he was, his mask shattered completely at those words._

_The little pieces were too hard to put back together in time to hide his discomposure. But–this being Shiki–he collected himself in half the time I expected him to._

_He looked at me seriously, the promise practically dripping from every word he said._

"_As you wish Rima."_

_And my nightmare collapsed before my tearstained eyes._

_._

It was bright out when I awoke, little sunrays peaking out from curtain, reflecting off of my skin. It was apparently a beautiful day.

I scowled at the sunlight and recoiled away from them, cursing under my breath. Mother nature was mocking me.

A sigh escaped my lips, and suddenly, I felt much older than a mere 16-year-old girl. My mind stormed with my recollection of my nightmare. It all seemed so real.

_It probably was._

So maybe if I had died in that nightmare, I wouldn't have to deal with all of this. No problems, no worries, and after what I had just gone through, seemed like a decent escape route.

A brief knock on the wooden door in front of me interrupted my thoughts. Hanaru walked in, relief written all over his face as he carried in a tray of buttered toast and orange juice. He handed me apiece silently and I took it without a word. I took a bite, emitted a sound of a starving animal, and devoured the rest within seconds. Hanaru smiled as he handed me another. I ate that one just as fast.

We sat in a tense silence.

"You knew didn't you?" I said casually as I swept the crumbs off my mouth. The quavering in my voice was absent.

Hanaru set the tray down.

"Yes."

After everything that had already happened, I had to say, not surprising.

"How?"

"Well…" Hanaru shifted slightly. He opened his mouth to speak but closed it again, as if the harsh truth would have been too much for me. I think I've had my good share of shock by now. "I'm sort of a vampire hunter."

Slap in the face. Didn't see that one coming.

Hanaru continued to explain, seeing the slight skepticism on my face. "When your parents were murdered by that _bloodsucker_, the Hunter Society told me to watch over you." He gritted his teeth at the mention of vampires.

I realized that the two closest people to me were mortal enemies. What cruel, dark irony.

"I thought your entire family had always served in the mansion."

"They have. My ancestors first started doing that in order to keep the vampires in check."

"Wait, so the people at those parties were vampires?"

"A few."

All this time, I had been held in the dark. I was falling and I didn't even know it.

"Is there anything else that I should know?" At this point, my voice held no emotion.

Hanaru nodded gravely, looking at me with formidable eyes. "The night your parents were murdered–"

I shuddered at the mention of my parents.

"–it was because they were vampire hunters like me."

All the time when I was little I had wondered where my parents ran off to when they left abruptly by myself at the little cottage.

They were getting rid of monsters.

I chuckled. "You know, my life's just one big joke isn't it? What kind of game does Fate think he's trying to play?"

I strained a smile, but inside, hungry fiery arms were consuming the sweet, happy side of me.

They were turning it into ashes.

* * *

OMG guys, this is fast-ish right? :D

Anyway, I feel so sorry for Shiki T____________T And Rima…and Hanaru…D: They're just a group of sad characters….D: With such a sad story line. DD: SADNESSS T_________T

Alright anyway…time for AUTHOR RANT!!

:D, I've had a lot of stuff going on lately, so like I was only able to write about like half and hour each night. Soooo that's my excuse for this being late, so sorry .

And oh oh oh somebody asked last time why the setting was Christmas even though it was like Jan when I put it out…that's sorta cause like…I started writing it before Christmas…but then, yeah. You see how lazy I am right? . Bad writer, I know….

So yeah anyway, that's all for now and until next time!! Oh and this is a sorta short chappie…again sorry D:

Review please ^^

VK is by Matsuri Hino-sempai and not me :] We adore her don't we???? 333


	6. The Promises

Chapter 6 – The Promises

My bare feet tapped against the hard, rocky ground lightly before springing back into the air and landing in a perfect upright position. The bells hanging off my skirt jingled slightly as they individually tapped against my thighs. A tangled mess of fiery orange hair settled on my shoulders as my dance came to an end. My eyes, which had been closed in rapt concentration during the entire performance, now opened to a throng of people with thundering applauses. Younger kids whooped and hollered, their mothers the only thing keeping them in check. Older folks just smiled in appreciation and nodded approvingly. I snatched the dainty material of my skirt with one hand and curtsied, as was my normal routine, and smiled as people tossed coins into a small bag Hanaru held to my left.

I smiled. Inside, I should have felt happy. Not even close.

As the last lingering people parted and returned to their work, I scanned the town for a place for us to rest and for me to change into my normal clothing. Already, the itchy, sparkling fabric was giving me a headache. I just wanted to burn it. Rip it in half. However, it was my only source of money. I sighed.

Hanaru tagging along not to far behind me, I wandered through town, searching for a place to stay for the night. All along the streets passersby regarded me with delight, waving and smiling as I walked along the unpaved street. I returned with the same expression, although the movements were nothing but an automatic response. They had no feeling behind them. In my search, a rather elderly lady hobbled up to me, her face wrinkled with age. Behind my back I crossed my fingers, hoping she would want to converse.

She opened her mouth. I cursed under my breath. Hanaru chuckled silently to himself somewhere behind me.

"Child, are you looking for a place to stay?"

I blinked. "Uh yes, would you happen to know somewhere?"

"Why yes my child, I do." She smiled, the lines on her face deepening, showing her many years of wisdom. "Please follow me."

I gave a fleeting look at Hanaru behind me but he just shrugged and motioned for me to follow the elder. I complied, picking up my small sack of clothes and slinging it over my shoulder. We walked silently through town, a sense of awkwardness forming between the elder and the two of us although the townspeople had no problem addressing the old lady.

"Oy! Good morning! How are you doing today?" called the blacksmith from farther up the road.

"Today sure is a wonderful morning isn't it?" the baker said as he put a freshly baked loaf of bread onto a plate.

"Its nice to see you're up and about today," said the potter as he quickly walked up the street in the opposite direction.

She just smiled and waved to all of them.

"They sure are pleasant folk aren't they?" she inquired suddenly.

"Um, yes, quite."

"They're even more lively than usual after your dance today."

I blinked in response.

The lady continued, ignoring my lack of a reply. "You must love dancing to be able to do something like that. It's almost like a miracle."

"Hm." I didn't want to lie to the poor lady nor did I want to tell her the truth. I hated dancing. It only brought back memories I didn't want to think about anymore. However, it was the only way Hanaru and I could make any money. We traveled town to town, staying only as long as we were welcome and left as soon as there was no more money to be sought. That was my life now. It had been for ten months now. It was simple, with no worries or distress.

Then how come I felt emptier than ever before?

The elder stopped. "Here we are."

She had stopped in front of a slowly crumbling building, many years imprinted along its stony surface. The front door was a shade of dark green, the wood beaten from repeated use. Still, it wasn't any older or newer than the other houses and buildings that surrounded it.

Hanaru nodded in approval behind me as he set the bag full of our money on the ground and ran his free hand through his sandy brown hair. "How much for two nights?" We hardly ever stayed in one town more than two nights. After that period of time, both of us felt like we had overstayed our welcome. Afterall, we didn't belong in these towns.

We were just running away.

"600 yen per night." The elderly woman winked at us.

Both Hanaru and I gawked. "That's outrageous!" we both said together.

"Well, that's a tragedy considering there are no more inns in this town." She eyed us almost seriously. "Unless you want to sleep on the streets tonight."

Hanaru looked at me. I sighed and shook my head. There was no way we were going to tarnish my newly bought dancing attire.

"You win _oba-san_, here." He unwillingly handed 1200 hard earned coins into the woman's withered palm.

She smiled, the excitement on her face taking at least ten years off her crumpled face. "Thank you for your business." Before any of us could shout out a retort, she opened the old bruised door and slipped inside the lodging.

"Well that was interesting." Hanaru picked up the nearly empty sack of coins and took a peek inside. "We'll have enough for dinner and if you're willing to put on another performance tomorrow we can survive until we need to leave again."

I grimaced slightly as I pinched the dance outfit I was still wearing. A sigh escaped my lips. "Alright, if we really need the money."

He looked at me, staring into the depths of my soul, drinking in the pain I felt. Somehow I felt less burdened knowing that Hanaru understood the slowly deepening loathing I had for dancing. We both knew that dancing was only associated with suffering.

Hanaru walked up to me and playfully ruffled my blazing hair, his lean muscular body towering over my small scrawny frame. "You must be tired Rima, let's go inside."

I nodded, letting his hand guide me inside. He leaned down and pressed his lips faintly to my ear and whispered, "But you know that you shouldn't be so sullen all the time Rima. Displaying happiness without the emotions to back it up will only lead to more unhappiness."

My mouth opened to provide a witty, light-hearted response but nothing came out. Hanaru was right, there was no point in being happy without actual happiness. Who was I kidding anyway; there was no concealing the silent flames that were slowly consuming my heart. Each day I just felt myself falling deeper and deeper into myself, and one day I wouldn't be able to get out. The ironic thing was I didn't even try to mask my grief; it was just my mind's natural way of coping with it.

I choked out a dry cough. "Yeah, I guess you're right. I guess I'll try to be more cheer–"

Hanaru wrapped his strong arms around me, crushing me into an affectionate embrace.

Again his warm breath tingled against my ear as he whispered, "You don't have to keep trying to hold yourself up Rima. If you fall, I _promise_ I'll catch you."

Tears welled up in the edges of my eyes, threatening to fall. I blinked to try and keep them locked instead but then Hanaru's words ringed in my ears. _If you fall, I promise I'll catch you._

"It's okay to cry, Rima."

For the first time in the longest time, tears rolled down my cheek. I cried softly into Hanaru's chest as he pulled me closer to him.

We stood like that for a few moments before I stepped back and dried the last of my tears. Even if my outburst only lasted for a few minutes, I felt better, like a heavy weight had been lifted off my puny shoulders.

Hanaru looked at me happily, as if we were connected by an invisible cord with my feelings being his feelings as well.

"How about we go shopping at the traveling market?" he said suddenly.

I cocked my head to one side. "Traveling market?"

"I heard it from a group of passersby. It's a group of people that travel town to town selling food and items you usually wouldn't see."

"I thought we barely had enough money for dinner tonight," I joked, swiping the small sack of coins and taking a peek inside.

Hanaru winked at me, a mischievous glint in his pale green orbs. "We won't buy anything then."

At that I laughed. It felt good, to laugh. I hadn't truly felt like laughing in quite a long time. "Sure thing."

Using his arm, he nudged me gently. "Come on Rima, it'll be lots of fun."

"Alright, alright, just let me change out of these clothes," I said as I snatched the slight material, looking at it disgustingly, "You don't really expect me to go out like this right?"

"Not in a million years, Rima."

_**.**_

Hanaru stood outside, in his normal attire, khaki pants and a simple white t-shirt with a large olive-green cloak to cover himself from dust winds. His sandy hair glimmered gold against the slowly setting sun, the rays highlighting his head. He stood leisurely against the wall of an opposite building, shading his eyes from the still glaring rays of the indistinguishable source of light. I ambled down three flights of old, creaky stairs, dressed in my usual clothing as well: a simple, plain, light blue sundress that was sturdy enough to compete with sandstorms and the same olive-green shroud. Hanaru automatically straightened himself as soon as I walked outside and took my hand. Soon, it became evident that the traveling market was a one of the few excitements of this little town for we saw groups of townsfolk racing ahead of us.

The town's people soon stopped as they reached a large open dirt field, which was an evident place where traveling markets such as this one were held. In front of us lay rows and rows of tents, each one a different color. Sprawled on large wooden signs was a list of the items each traveler sold and those were attached to the front of a makeshift cart that displayed the trinkets.

As soon little children received a nod or another form of approval, they ran straight into the market, dragging their helpless parents along with them. Elders and older folk grouped together and shuffled to antique stores, admiring the pieces that were probably older than they were. Mothers gossiped with each other to the side, one occasionally turning to tell their child to pipe down before returning to the conversation. Brothers and sisters played in the center, showing off their new toys to each other. Conversation soon swarmed around Hanaru and I as we grew lost in sea of discussion.

"Oh Mother! What a pretty necklace, may I please have it? Please, please, please????"

"Hey! I saw that pair of shoes first!"

"I've been looking for this book for years, how much is it?"

"What? That price is absolutely outrageous! I will take my business elsewhere unless you lower this ridiculous price!"

In the mist of it all, Hanaru let go of my hand for a split second, only to come back and start pulling me towards the direction of a cart. A middle age man attended the cart, his large belly shaking as he laughed at a joke made by a previous customer. His cart displayed woman's accessories, from hairpins and ribbons to bangles and rings. I marveled at it all. Never in my life had I see so many beautiful baubles, they were all so eye catching. A small red gem in the corner caught my eye and I picked it up. The red gem was cut into a nearly perfect circle with a neighboring twin right next to it. The two were centered in the middle with great bursting gem-shaped leaves bursting from one side. The small thing rested perfectly in the palm of my hand, the light hitting it in just the right direction to have the stones reflect in a brilliant red and green spectrum. I took a scrutinizing look at the trinket, picking it up to examine more closely. If I wasn't mistaken, I swear I had seen something just like this a long time ago. Why it looked just like a…holly berries…

I stopped dead cold. Hanaru noticed out of the corner of his eyes and flashed me a worried glance but continued to converse with the man as if nothing had happened. Eventually however, my terrified stare got his attention.

"Uh, miss, are you alright?"

When I didn't answer, he furrowed his brows and snatched back the holly pin that was resting in my shaking, freezing hands.

"Now looky here, miss. You don't look like much a of a thief to me, but if you're planning on pulling something, I suggest you leave right away."

Hanaru cut in, picking up a pair of ribbons and handed them to the man abruptly.

"I would like to take these, sorry for the trouble."

The man blinked before realizing he made a sale and put on a business expression, the mishap completely forgotten. "Right, thank you for your purchase."

Hanaru paid and slowly led me away from the shop to the outskirts of the market, where the fewest people were.

He turned to me and looked at me with blatantly solemn eyes. "Rima, are you alright?"

I just gazed at a far away distance, my mind gradually drifting from this world. "Shiki. Shiki. Shiki," I mumbled as each time my voice grew fainter and fainter. For months now, I had kept my thoughts of Shiki in check, fearing that if I constantly thought about him, my mind would slip and I'd either turn crazy or into a mindless zombie. My subconscious agreed with the latter.

All this time I had been wading in an endless ocean, and now my arms had given up on me and I felt myself growing colder and colder, distancing myself from Hanaru's fearful voice calling my name.

Each time, I heard less and less until I only heard a small murmur that was all too easy to ignore. My subconscious kept calling him back as I fell deeper and deeper into the prison of my own mind.

I felt my somewhere, as remote as I was from my own body that there were tears in my eyes. There was no hope now and my body knew that, crying it own tears that the mind that inhabited it would soon be somewhere over the horizon.

Even though it was only a slight movement, I had the faintest feeling of tipping over. Then, suddenly out of the blue, a hand reached out from the surface and pulled me upward. I felt myself becoming reattached to my body and it also soon became prevalent that somebody was kissing me.

Hanaru was kissing me.

Even though my mind was raging, my body responded to the touch and kissed back. Our lips moved in sync together, slowly molding into one. It was like lava flowing over a field, slowly hardening as it poured out farther. However, oxygen was only option for so long so as it soon became mandatory for both of us, Hanaru pulled back, his bangs sweeping over his eyes as he leaned over me. His arm was against my back, supporting my weight. I could only stare at him.

As I opened my mouth to say something, he hushed me by putting a finger over my lips and leaned in and whispered, "Like I told you Rima, whenever you fall, I promise I'll always be there to catch you."

We stayed like that for a few more minutes because he straightened himself and in the process helped me stand up as well. I continued to stare at him to the point where he chuckled and slipped something soft into my hand. I held my hand up and looked at it. They were two midnight black satin ribbons with a small white lace trim on either side. They felt smooth and silky in my palm and I ran my fingers over them, marveling the soft texture. Vaguely, I remembered Hanaru picking something up to make up for my lapse.

I breathed, "They're absolutely beautiful."

"I thought they'd look good in you're hair."

Again for the first time, I smiled genuinely at him as I wrapped my fingers around the two delicate strips of fabric and brought them to my chest affectionatly. "I'll definitely wear them, I promise."

_**.**_

Somewhere in the opposite part of town, a lone figure stood on the roof of a house, his pitch-black cloak billowing in the wind. The hood of his cloak covered his entire face, shrouding it in darkness. Even his eyes were nearly indistinguishable in the gloom. With his distance from the scene that had just unfolded, one would think that such a stranger could not be able to recognize or even make out what was happening, but the figure showed no signs of confusion. He stood motionlessly as the scene play out, only little irritating jerks showed signs that the stranger had not turned into a statue. When it ended, his lifted up his arm from his uniform black clothing, holding a small piece of metal in his pale hand. The metal was chipped here and there and most of the gems that had one been imprinted into the metal were all gone. The only gem left was a single red orb, with disfigured metal-shaped leaves adorning it. The stranger took paid no heed to its imperfections and lifted the tiny thing to his lips and kissed it once before slipping his arm with the ornament back into his cloak.

Then he spoke in a small whisper, but even so his words carried themselves along with the wind. "And one day when his hold on you slips, I promise I'll be there to keep you from hitting the ground, Rima."

----------------

I should high-five myself after I type this cause frankly, I am quite proud of myself. :] This chappie turned out a whole heck lot better than I first intended it too...soo yeah, mucho proud of myself ^^

Gosh, I just realized today how much I'm used to writing in third person because I had to keep changing the she's and her's to I's and me's. It was so incredibly irritating :o So if theres a few POV shifts, its totally not my fault...well it is, but its not. Get it? No? Too bad. :]

Anyways, I absolutely adore this chappie, and I don't really have much to talk about now, since well, I think the chappie pretty much explains itself. I'm quite sure you can figure out who the "stranger" is in the last part right? :D

And since I totally don't have like an outline for this story (cause who needs outlines? xDD), I had no idea what to do, and so it just like came to me :D Whatever comes, comes.

Alright, I hope you guys enjoy reading this chappie as much I did writing it. Cause seriously, it was so exciting to write ^^ And also, ironically this is the longest chappie xD

As always, reviews are most welcome and encouraged, get some friends to read too~! That would make me most happy :D

Whoa so much sentences begining with "A". :P

~VK and all its characters are owned by Matsuri Hino and no me :3 The only character that I claim rights to is Hanaru, which btw is so cool~! ^^ So steal him and prepare to be eaten by wild aboriginals :D

Tata~! Till next time everybody~!


	7. The Protector

Chapter 7 – The Protector

A loud rumble sounded from my stomach, startling a few birds that perched on a nearby tree in the otherwise bleak sandy landscape. Beside me, Hanaru cast me a sidelong look while daring to suppress his laughter. I pretended to pay no mind to my ever-increasing hunger and marched forward before another loud grumble erupted. Silently, I cursed my stomach's lack of tolerance for hunger.

"Care to stop for some food Rima?" Hanaru grabbed my hand and spun me around to look at him. With his free hand he pulled off his hood and shook his hair, the color nearly identical to the ground I was standing on before reaching into the inside of his cloak to produce a loaf of bread.

He trusted the loaf in front of my face, gently wafting the smell towards my nose. "Eat," he commanded.

Grudgingly, I shook my head, shaking away the delicious fumes. "We can't stop now, we're almost to the next town." I pointed to cluster of rugged building tops not to far into the distance as if to confirm my accusation.

Hanaru did indeed look towards the town while slowly returning his arm inside the cloak. Just as gradually, his eyes narrowed into two small slits and his position became tense and rigid.

I knew that look on his face. It was the one he always wore whenever Shiki was within a meter of him. "There's a vampire in that town isn't there?"

"Yes," he confirmed, his mouth setting itself into a straight line, "Perhaps we should move on to the next town."

Without taking my gaze away from the town, I reached inside my cloak and pulled out the coin sack, shaking it. There was no jingling sound that reverberated from inside the small bag. "As much as I want to, I'm afraid we have no money."

"Damn."

"You said it."

_**.**_

The makeshift road we had been walking on grew wider and soon the rock wall that surrounded the town was within reach. I kept watching Hanaru tense more with each step we took towards the town, barely to keep my own composure in check.

"How many vampires do you sense?" I tried keeping my voice low in case it carried with the wind.

"I can't really tell, I just know there's at least one in that town."

My mouth opened to reply but I quietly hushed myself as we neared the entrance. Two burly men guarded the entrance on either side, each wielding a spear in their right hand. Both had light blonde hair and bright blue eyes, looking like brothers. Their appearances made them look as if they were quite friendly people. However at a closer glance, they both also wore a heartless look on their face, one that look as if they had no problem with killing people on the spot. I lengthened my pace and drew behind Hanaru, clinging to his cloak.

"Halt, who goes there?" said one of the men, pointing his spear in front of him.

"State you're name and business," said the other, doing the same.

"We are traveling performers looking for some food and rest." Hanaru held his hands up as if to show that he had no intention of harm.

"Unauthorized performances is against the law in this town," they both answered, the two voices so in sync that it seemed as if they had rehearsed the line.

I heard Hanaru curse under his breath and I clutched my cloak tighter around my body, trying to hide the dance clothing that I wore underneath for convenience.

When he spoke again his voice was unruffled, no hint of the aggravation that I had seen in his eyes. "And how may I acquire the permission to do as such?"

"You must speak to the Mayor," said one of them.

"You must," repeated the other.

"Where may I find him?"

"_She_ is currently in a neighboring town, discussing business." _Damn._

"And when will she be back?"

"In four days." _Double damn._

Hanaru and I looked at each other. We both knew that we couldn't afford to stay in the town and wait for four days before she came back but we also knew that if we didn't find a way to get money, we wouldn't be able to move on.

"Is there any other way us to earn money for our travels?" By 'us' he actually meant him. Besides dancing, which was an enigma in itself, there was no way I could ever handle work, my heart wouldn't be able to give enough haul.

"There is a message board in the center of town."

"You should be able to find available jobs posted there."

Hanaru nodded in thanks and strolled through the arch, the two guard's gaze on him the entire time. As soon as we were far enough away from the entrance, I stepped out from behind Hanaru, although I pressed myself near him, knowing the dangers here. In front of me was a spacious road, with houses made of stone on each side. I could distinctly identify bakeries, flower shops, food markets, and even some blacksmith shops that dotted the streets. Small children played in the street while occasionally being scolded by adults that walked by. Farmers in wagons being pulled my horses that carried various produce periodically rolled by. Everything seemed quite natural, just like any other town was.

It was quite hard to think that one or more of these honest people were vampires.

While being lost in my thoughts and observation, Hanaru had hauled me through the crowded streets and finally stopped in front of a large wooden board that was situated in what seemed like the town's square. He quickly scanned the board, although it was quite hard to understand the papers tacked on the board; they were all written in rough handwriting with only a rudimentary grasp of the language.

Hanaru pointed to a small yellow-stained crumpled paper in the middle. "There."

I read the poor description out loud. "Looking for bodyguard. Will pay 20 yen per hour." Underneath was the name of the shop and straightforward directions on how to get there from the town square.

At first glance, I had to admit that Hanaru looked quite intimidating, especially when he was so on edge. I gave him an encouraging smile and a thumbs up. "Perfect."

He gave a brisk nod, his lips set in a stiff line. Just by looking at him, I could tell he was only waiting for a vampire to suddenly spring in front of us. No doubt the vampires lurking in this town could sense Hanaru as well as he could sense them.

It was practically a game to see who seek out whom first.

Hanaru found the shop with little trouble, and with our hands still intertwined, he lugged me along with him through a tangle of people. We at last stood in front of a building, twice as tall as the ones that surrounded it. There were multiple windows openings in the floors above us, some apparently occupied and others seemingly vacant. It wasn't just any shop, it was an inn. Fortune was finally shining down upon us.

Hanaru must have come to the same conclusion because for the first time during our stay, his lips were drawn into a smile. The grin disappeared for a few moments as Hanaru closed his two pale green orbs and concentrated before opening and smiled wider. _Vampire-free_.

Without fear of a vampire sabotaging us, Hanaru pushed the door open, revealing a restaurant bustling with people. At the same time, a bell above us produced a high-pitched chime as the door banged against the tiny thing. The sound of the bell caused a young-looking woman to look up from a nearby table where she was apparently taking another customer's order.

"One moment please!" she called from her station before returning to jot an order on a little notepad.

Hanaru took a step forward but was cut off by the same woman, who had just put in the order for the chef. Her raven black hair was tied by a golden ribbon into a perfect bun on the nape of her neck with a few strands that had escaped the neat hairstyle and were waving freely on her forehead. She quickly recognized this and swept the stray hair behind her ears. Her eyes were hazel, almost golden with the light that shined on them from the outside. She was dressed in simple waitress garb, nothing fancy or creative.

"Table for two?" she chimed with a smile, her joyful expression nearly overwhelming. Nonetheless, as cheerful as she was, her happy appearance faltered only slightly as she said the word 'two'. I shrank back behind Hanaru as I watched the waitress direct us to our table. Along the way, the woman exclusively conversed with Hanaru, paying no mind to me. Probably in her head, she was desperately hoping I was his little sister or companion even though our contrasting hair colors extinguished any options of family relations. And even though the 'companion' part may have been true – although exactly how loosely I could keep using the word 'companion' to describe my relationship with him was unclear – it was obvious that Hanaru had no interest in the girl. He answer dryly to her bountiful questions and as each and every attempt for him to notice her died in vain, she eventually stopped trying. From the safety of my hood, which had remained on my head since entering the town, I smirked at the poor woman. I nearly started laughing out loud when she gawked at the fact that we had been holding hands the entire time as we let go to sit across from each other at the table.

"May I get you something to drink?" She forced another smile out of herself, although I could bet that inside she was crying.

I traced the natural incisions of the wooden table with my index finger half-heartedly. "Water for me please."

Hanaru looked up, actually speaking to her with enthusiasm for the first time. In response, I watched a little kindle of hope light up in her almond-shaped eyes as I snickered to myself. "Actually…"

"He'd like a glass of water too," I suddenly cut in, completely smothering the fire. The waitress unwillingly left with the two orders but shot me a death look before leaving. I merely smiled in return.

"What was that all about?"

Returning to my half-hearted tracing, I glanced up for a moment. "What was what all about? The fact that Ms. Waitress over there has been staring at you with goggly-eyes since you came in or the fact that I just cut into what you were about to say?"

"The latter." He rolled his eyes at me, knowing that I wouldn't bother doing what I was told.

"Well, first of all," I raised a finger for emphasis, "either little miss waitress over there has been having really bad prospects lately or you're one of the few cute guys that's ever been to this town."

I put up two fingers. "Second of all, you probably don't want to be snooping around for the manager right now. I mean, this place is packed."

Hanaru chuckled and shook his head, glancing at the numerous amount of people that surrounded us before he nodded. "You're probably right."

"I always am," I proclaimed proudly with a wink.

By that time, the waitress had come back with our water, looking more sullen than ever. Poor thing. Hanaru picked up the glass and swirled in it around, pretending he was drinking some fancy champagne or something and took a swig. Looking at the delicious food around me, I suddenly remembered my hunger, which had surprisingly been lying dormant this whole time. My stomach automatically growled vociferously as a response, causing a few people at the nearby tables to stare.

Hanaru cast me a thoughtful look and took out the loaf of bread and tore it in half, keeping one for him and the other offering it to me.

"Eat," his stern voice commanded. Fleetingly, I took the bread from his outstretched hand and engulfed nearly a third of it in one bite. With my other hand, I pulled my hood off my head, revealing my bright orange hair in two drooping pigtails, fastened by the black satin ribbon. I reached up to tighten the ribbons but my I stopped the action when I heard an incoherent mumble from Hanaru.

"Did you say something?"

Hanaru looked to the side, pretending not to notice my question. I stuck out my tongue at him but when I lifted my hands again to resume, he mumbled again, quietly but this time distinguishable.

"Your hair looks better when the pigtails are drooping."

I smiled and left my pigtails drooping and returned to tracing the indentations on the wooden table.

_**.**_

The sun had fallen low into the sky, emitting brilliant orange and purple hues into the no long bustling restaurant. Hanaru stood up as another customer gave his thanks and left the pub, weaving himself around chairs and table with me following in his shadow. He stopped in front of the waitress, tapping her on the shoulder in which she spun around to face him.

She looked optimistic enough but again her poor dreams were crushed. "Where might the manager be?" Hanaru inquired.

The waitress opened her mouth to answer but another voice chimed in. "How may I help you sir?" a soft feminine voice answered from behind the woman. The manager had her coffee brown hair tied into a low ponytail behind her neck, with strands of hair covering her large, amethyst-colored eyes. She paid no mind to lock of hair covering her face as she leaned forward behind the bar she had been standing behind, both hands propping her face up. A little metal nameplate that was pined to her simple white blouse read, 'Akiko'.

Hanaru immediately walked around the waitress, who ran through the door that led to the kitchen, bawling. The manager 'tsked' and shook her head, giggling to herself.

"By telling me if the bodyguard job is still available, Akiko-san," Hanaru answered, reading the nametag as well.

She gave him a wistful look and took a few moments before answering. "It is."

"Then would you be able to offer both of us a room in exchange for half of the salary?" Hanaru indicated to the staircase to the left of us.

"Why yes I can," she answered again in a thoughtful manner after a period of time. It seemed that Akiko-san was always slightly spaced out when she answered Hanaru's questions.

"And may I ask why you need a bodyguard for your inn?"

The manger's eyes suddenly turned grave as she pointed a thin finger at the door, her demeanor completely changed. She answered swiftly. "They should be here any moment now."

We both looked towards the entrance she pointed to. On cue, the wooden door burst open, nearly ripping the frail thing off its hinges, presenting a large, gruff man with a cigar lit in his mouth accompanied by two lankier men holding bats. Just as sudden, Hanaru reposition himself protectively in front of me, ushering me to hide behind his large frame. For once I did what I was told while the manager returned to her elusive state and stared at the three men as if they were welcomed customers. I stood on my tiptoes and whispered a question in Hanaru's ear. He concentrated for a mere moment before shaking his head. _Good, not a vampire. _

"Welcome back Ganru," she said in a cheerful voice as she referred to the man in the middle. Her eyes however showed utter malice to the three men.

"As bubbly as ever Akiko," the leader of the gang said with a cruel smile as his eyes narrowed, "I hope that personality of yours can help me with my business."

Akiko-san laughed wryly. "You mean your business of stealing other people's hard earned money?"

Ganru stared blankly at Akiko-san before snapping his fingers. "You'll pay dearly for that." Responding to the snap, the two lanky men raised their bats and smashed the two tables nearest to them, rendering them to splinters. The few lingering customers in the inn scampered as they saw this but since the doorway was blocked, most ran upstairs or into the kitchen. Hanaru stayed put, continuing to guard me as discreetly as possible. However, the leader's eyes lingered on Hanaru and only a few moments passed before he caught a glimpse of my bright orange hair.

"Oh who are you hiding there Akiko? Another waitress for me?" He stepped forward and both Hanaru and I stepped back one. Greedily, he rubbed his hands together, a corrupted expression falling upon his face.

Akiko-san made a noise that resembled something of a snarl. "She's not another person you can steal again for your evil deeds Ganru. Besides, I have a bodyguard for this tavern now," she said defiantly, directing to Hanaru. I shivered at her comment; horrible memories of hearing the screams of innocent girls being abused by lords crossed my mind.

Ganru eyed Hanaru up and down and guffawed, his two henchmen laughing along with him. "This is what you call a bodyguard? I could snap him like a twig."

"Now give me what I want and there won't be any more trouble to be had." He drew closer, reaching for my arm.

Suddenly, Hanaru grabbed his arm and twisted it, sending the large man on the ground. "Don't. Touch. Her."

Ganru got up, wiped his torn lip with the back of his muscular arm, and spat on the floor. His two accomplices quickly came to aid him but Ganru raised a hand and they halted. "Boys, I got this one."

He smirked at Hanaru. "So you think you're a tough guy, huh?"

Hanaru only shrugged but it seemed to make Ganru more infuriated than he already was. He charged at Hanaru at full speed, covering the distance between them in two strides. His fist aimed itself for Hanaru's face, intending to smash into it, his face showing pure smugness. However at the last moment, Hanaru merely raised his hand palm facing outward and caught Ganru's fist in mid-punch. I gasped, Ganru expression distorted with utter surprise and Akiko-san clapped wildly from behind the bar counter.

"What the hell?" Ganru said before a hard kick in the stomach sent him reeling backwards and conveniently out the door, unconscious.

The two henchmen who had been lying low in the background now sprung into action, coming to their leader's aid. "Boss, boss, are you alright?"

Hanaru stepped forward, his aura intimidating, the two lanky men cowering underneath his formidable gaze. "Leave, now."

They quickly did as they were told, scurring away like scared mice with their unconscious boss leaning on both their shoulders as they dragged him away. As soon as their forms disappeared, a wave of applause and whistles sounded from the customers that had gone into hiding. Each person gave Hanaru either a handshake or a hug before safely leaving the tavern, gossiping about the 'new bodyguard' that had just appeared in their town. When the last person left the inn, Akiko-san leaped over the counter and gave Hanaru a giant bear hug. I added on to it, squeezing him as hard as I could with my weak self.

"That was wonderful! He'll definitely think twice before stepping foot into here again," Akiko-san exclaimed, ecstatic, "Now, Hanaru-san, if you would still like the job, I would be more than happy to offer you a place to stay here." She propped her face up with both her hand again, staring at Hanaru optimistically.

"Yeah, sure."

"Great! I'll show you to your rooms."

I nudged Hanaru playfully in the arm, "We won't have to worry about money anymore now do we?" He only laughed at me, ruffling my hair as we ascended up the stairs. I held onto his arm, feeling completely safe knowing that he would always protect me.

-------------

_Super happy that I got this chappie out in such a short time, for me anyway. So don't hate :D Besides, its SPRING BREAK!!! Whoo, I'll get to be able to write for like 4 hours everyday, that will be a blast (no sarcasm). Yeah, I seriously love writing this story, its always a blast. Best part of my day I must say...well maybe second best. _

_Anyway, for those who didn't know the significance of the holly berries in the last chappie, its because like 2 chapters ago (now three I think) Rima gave Shiki a holly pin and since she wants absolutely nothing to do with him anymore (super sadness), those memories give her pain D: So yeah, READ MORE CAREFULLY :3 I guess I should be happy you guys even read at all. Alright thankful thankfulness :]_

_So yeah, this was more of a filler chappie than anything honestly...I wanted to add the second part but then it would have made this chappie super duper freaking long...like twice what it is now. I also hate it when authors are inconsistant with the length of their chapters, it really bothers me, I guess its an OCD thing, so I wanted to make mine samey-ish. They're really not but whatever. So the second part is now the second chapter :3_

_Anyway now for some response time:_

_hellopanda23: No prob, as long as you keep reading, thats what makes me happy. Lols, idk I guess I have a fetish for making my own characters since I always wanted to write my own original story but then I would actually have to right a decent intro and that ain't happenin'...I hope your dislike for Hanaru won't keep you from reading DD: I would tell you how it ends but then that would spoil the fun :D_

_sachiko haruki: Omg, I absolutely ADORE you for sending me that PM, it literally made my entire week. To have to go through all that trouble to comment on the chappie, it made me extremely satisfied. :] So thank you so much, and I hope I answered your question ^^ And totally hope your computer is fixed by now :D People you should follow this person's example, do whatever it takes to comment :DDD_

_Everybody else: I updated, happy? I am :D_

_Thanks for the support everybody, don't forget to press that green button!_

_And all these original characters here all belong to me :] Thanks a bunch!_


	8. The Good

The Good - Chapter 8

A man feverishly walked into a pitch-black room, the moldy walls and dank air giving him permanent nightmares. He looked over his shoulders, desperate to escape through the door that led him here but he shook his head. That would be impossible, things had to be done. He would not disappoint his master. Even though his eyes were at a loss, the man could sense his surroundings, which gave him only a slight comfort to what he was about to behold. He abruptly stopped in front of a large rectangular stone casket and kneeled. Blood that ran down the sides of the casket slowly made its way towards the man. He noticed a large funnel held by strings that was directly above the casket. Every few seconds, blood would escape through the hole at the tip and drop down below into the depths of the stone casket that was also nearly overflowing with the maroon substance. The man knelt quietly until he felt the stillness of the pool of blood tremble and he raised his head. Half of a fully restored hand met his gaze. Ligament, muscles, and tendons wrapped around bony outlines of a palm and fingers reached out towards the man. He had learned from past experiences not to flinch at the gruesome sight.

"Where are they now?" a chilling voice called from deep inside the stone casket. The voice shook the man to his very core.

It was everything that his nightmares consisted of. And more.

"Your spies have confirmed that they are exactly in the town you expected them to stay at, Master," the man replied swiftly. He knew how much his Master hated to wait. He could only think of the torment he must be going through trying to restore himself to his former glory. It was his rightful duty to help him with that. Even so, the man felt his loyalty waiver ever so slightly as he scanned the nightmarish and repulsive room while he waited for his Lord's reply.

"Good," came the solemn answer, "Tell them that they must keep the girl alive. She is essential for my plan."

"And the boy, My Lord?"

"They can kill him."

_**.**_

My hand shielded my eyes from the blaring sun as I looked towards the early morning horizon. The sack of coins, now refilled, was clenched in my other hand and my cloak was wrapped around me as I stepped out the door of the inn.

Akiko waved enthusiastically as she served a man his drink from behind her counter. "Have fun!"

I waved back before walking around the corner on the dusty, unpaved street. From inside my cloak, I pulled out a small sheet of paper with simple directions to the marketplace scribbled on it in black ink. Although the handwriting was hard to distinguish, I clearly remembered the verbal instructions that Akiko had gave be before I left. 'Turn to the left when you get to the blacksmith's shop' she had said. I walked down the street, staying close the shops and waving to townspeople as they passed by. My fear of meeting a vampire had subsided a bit after some self-reassurance that nothing back would come out of shopping for some produce. However, it had been much harder to convince Hanaru of that. He had insisted on me staying next to him while he guarded the inn and I had scoffed at the sheer idea of me trying to keep boredom at bay staying in one place all day. With a few more encouragements from me and a bit of authority from Akiko-san, Hanaru had agreed to let me go around town shopping for any supplies we would need when we left the town. Personally, all I wanted to do was to get some fresh air. It had been a long time since I had last walked around towns without a deep loathing for something in my heart. Today, I felt light and carefree from everything that had happened lately. There was hardly any burden on my shoulders now. I was happy.

In my thoughts, I spotted the blacksmith shop and turn the corner, waving to the muscular man as I did. Almost immediately, I could recognize the multiple produce shops that dotted the sides of the street. Vendors of all kinds were outside their little shops, calling out their low prices, daring to compete with their neighbors. I walked quickly to the nearest shop, a small fruit stand that had a young man tending to the various organic products. All the fruits looked absolutely delicious, my mouth watered just imagining biting into one of them. While in the middle of stacking some cantaloupes in the very back of the store, the young man noticed me and raised his head. He was quite a youthful man, no older than twenty-five, with long strawberry blonde hair that was tied into a ponytail behind his back. I silently gasped at the color of his eyes; one was scarlet red while the other was sapphire blue. A stab of pain reminded me that Shiki had the color blue in his eyes whenever he saw me. I promptly shook my head, cleared my thoughts, and focused on the vendor in front of me. Now was not the time to taking a stroll down memory lane, nor was any other time in fact. He wiped his hands on an apron he was wearing after he had finished his work and turned around to face me. Although I tried looking at the man as a whole, my gaze wandered back to his unusual colored eyes, staring deeper into them. A small shudder ran down my spine, which caused my hands to involuntarily hug myself. Luckily, the man didn't notice my small quiver but I continued to wonder what had caused that unintentional action when he spoke.

"May I help you ma'am?" He fixed his multi-colored gaze on me with complete rapture.

I blinked a few times to clear my thoughts and pointed dubiously at a cluster of strawberries. "How much?" I vaguely reminisced that strawberries were my favorite treat when I was a child. Mother would always buy me fresh ones from the market when money permitted. They were always a thankful present from my parents after a long days work on the fields.

The young vendor never took his eyes off of me as he took a bunch and dropped them into a translucent plastic bag. I was growing quite self-conscious under his ever-fascinating gaze. He handed the bag to me, our hands touching for an instant, although his eyes lingered on the exchange for what seemed like a lifetime. His lips spread into a smile, his features distant as he became lost in thought. Feeling the silence between us lengthened as the young man continued to be mystified by me, I reached cautiously into my cloak and took out the sack of coins.

The rattling of the coins seemed to bring the man back to life for he raised his hand and shook his head, the vendor's ponytail swaying side to side. "For a beautiful lady as yourself, these strawberries are free of charge."

I promptly thanked him and strode away from the fruit stand with my back turned but I could still feel the strange man's gaze following me as I turned the corner.

_**.**_

My spirits were high as I ambled my way back to the tavern, carrying a large paper sack full of goodies. The coin sack was still heavy as it hung from a belt wrapped around my thin waist. My arms were starting to protest with the large load but I paid no mind to my physical limitations for my mentality was soaring. I had planned to give half of the produce to Akiko-san out of thanks for the hospitality she's been showing both of us. After all, I certainly knew that Hanaru and I couldn't cook let alone eat all this food. Hanaru may have been strong but I'm sure that even he couldn't carry a few half dozen tomatoes underneath his cloak for long. I suppressed a giggle when my mind conjured up an image of Hanaru trying to hide them beneath the cloak.

In my dreamlike state, I wandered the familiar path back to the inn, not bothering to watch where I was going. A second later, I heard an 'oomph' and it took a few seconds before it registered in my head that the noise had been produced by me. I took a few steps back, checked my bag to see if anything important had been crushed and when everything was fine, raised my head and look straight into the eyes of Ganru. From shock, I immediately took five more steps back before a small pebble upset my balance and I fell flat on my bottom. My brown bag fell from my hands and landed a few inches away from me, a few tomatoes rolling out onto the dirty road. He looked just as surprised to see me before a mischievous glint flashed in his eyes.

_Crap._

I didn't even have time to run away. Ganru immediately grabbed my shoulder and slammed me against the nearest wall causing a groan from my mouth. He whistled loudly and I grimaced since my arms had been trapped by his firm grip. From absolutely nowhere, the same two lanky henchmen emerged from the shadows of the closest alley, smacking clubs into their palms, a smirk on all their faces. I opened my mouth to cry for help but automatically a hand flew up to cover my mouth. I struggled under Ganru's grip, kicking and lashing out as hard as I could. Ganru seemed to feel none of my resistance though and brushed them all off easily. It wasn't long before I felt the last my strength wither away leaving me completely defenseless. Ganaru laughed cruelly, reminding me of the awful people that had laughed at my pain when I had first been brought to the mansion. And just as at that time, I felt completely useless. It finally became truly clear to me that I was worthless. I couldn't work, I wouldn't fight, and I couldn't even walk for more than a few miles before Hanaru had to start carrying me. Throughout my life, there was always somebody to protect me, to come to my rescue. But what would happen if I didn't have a knight in shining armor to come and save me?

The answer was not a pleasant one.

Ganru stared at me with unmerciful eyes. "Your stupid friend will pay for the humiliation he brought me," he snarled in my face, his breath smelling like rancid meat. He ripped the cloak off of me and threw it on the filthy road, his face smeared with greed and revenge.

I squeaked and managed to muffle a few curses although they were indistinguishable by Ganru's meaty hand over my mouth. He scoffed at my feeble attempts and looked hungrily the shirt and trousers I wore, pulling at them with his other hand. I closed my eyes, a tear rolling down my cheek.

_Please, somebody, anybody, help me._

Suddenly, the pressure on my mouth and body vanished and I dropped to the ground. Ganru was unconscious next to me, bloody trickling out of his open mouth and the other two men were nowhere to be seen. A man in a black cloak with the hood on stood in front of me, his face impossible to tell in the fading sunlight. He walked closer to me and I cringed against the wall, frightened. Who was he? The stranger outstretched his hand while his other pulled the hood off to reveal a beautiful man no older than eighteen with jade-colored eyes and short light blonde hair. He had a smile on his face, a genuine smile, with kindness running across all his features. I abruptly thought of Shiki when I saw the man, but I discarded the thought. This man looked nothing like Shiki. The man's skin had a light pink undertone to it while I recalled that Shiki's was pearly white. Shiki was a vampire, this man was not – hopefully.

He took a step closer to me yet again, inclining me to take his hand. "It's alright now miss, I won't hurt you." There was truth that underlined his tone. I glanced back at Ganru's body and it twitched slightly, causing me to recoil against the wall in panic.

The man again urged me to take his hand. "I only knocked him out, he'll regain consciousness soon." I nodded once and placed my feeble hand in his.

"Good," he said, nodding. "Now lets get out of here." He started running. I struggled to match my pace with his, already breathless from before. He noticed this and slowed down to a brisk walk, one I couldn't keep up with.

"May I have your name?" I asked, breathless.

"Ichijo," came the soft, tender reply. By this time, we were far enough away from Ganru that he slowed his pace even more, allowing me to rest.

"Ichijo-san," I said as he finally stopped.

He shushed me and put a finger on his lips. "Please, lose the honorifics." He flashed another thoughtful smile at me and I couldn't help but smile back.

"Ichijo thank you for saving me." I curtsied slightly but again he stopped me.

"I would do anything for a beautiful lady such as yourself. It was my pleasure Miss…?" He gestured for my name. By now I was sure that this man couldn't be a vampire, he had such human-like features that it was impossible.

"Rima."

"Well Rima-chan, would you like to accompany me and watched the sunset?" He pointed, directing my attention to the gradually fading daylight at the edge of the town. I looked towards the slowly setting sun. Hanaru would be waiting for me to get back and I surely didn't want to worry him, but I knew I owed my life to this man and I surely wasn't going to be rude and decline either.

"Sure thing." He clapped his hands together and looped his arm through mine and together we strolled towards the border of the town.

_**.**_

"So you dance Rima?" he repeated after inquiring me about my journeys.

"Yes." I decided to leave out the part about Shiki and vampires killing my parents. He would think I was a nutcase and since we had been talking for an hour now, I didn't want to scare him away. The sun had nearly set, and little by little I came in terms with the fact that Hanaru would have a panic attack if I didn't return soon.

I stood up, somewhat disappointed to leave. It had been a long time since I had engaged in such a riveting conversation with somebody other than Hanaru. "I should be heading back."

"So soon?" he pleaded, giving me puppy eyes. This small exchange between us had happened three times already and each time I had given in and stayed a few more minutes.

My finger went up into the air, pretending to scold Ichijo. "Now looky here, you can't keep looking at me with those eyes expecting me to sta–" Ichijo's body abruptly slammed into me, knocking me to the ground and sending a wave of shock and pain with it.

"What the h–" I cried when I was silenced by a dagger wizzing at an impossible speed through the air. The dagger lodged itself into the wall behind us with a sharp crack. I painfully realized the sharp blade would have killed me if Ichijo hadn't body slammed me. I formed a 'thank you' with my mouth but Ichijo sprang up, facing the direction the dagger had come from, a growl rippling through his clenched teeth. He slowly drew a sword that had been hidden in his black cloak and poised for attack. I scanned the horizon myself and saw nothing at first but gradually I made out eight silhouettes.

With a blink of an eye though, they were clearly visible, only a few meters from where Ichijo stood with his sword drawn. I squinted my eyes and gasped, they all had crimson-tinted eyes full of bloodlust. My mind instantly clicked the pieces together. _Vampires._

A blonde woman ran ahead of the group, stopping a few yards in front of Ichijo, her smile one of pure malevolence. I reached forward to warn Ichijo of the impending danger but he was already running towards the woman, preparing to kill her. In return, her hands turned into claws as she ran at him with inhuman speed.

A tear ran down my cheek, I was too late. He was going to die.

But he didn't. Just as her claws were about to pierce his chest, Ichijo smiled and ducked effortlessly. The woman's response time was just as fast and she quickly brought her other hand down where he had ducked but he had disappeared. He reappeared after a few seconds behind the woman, and before she knew what had happened, stabbed the long blade through her heart. She instantly turned to sand, not a smidge of blood apparent on the sharp silver weapon.

I could only gawk at the scene that had just unfolded in front of me. My mind refused to accept the truth, the insanely fast movements, the super strength, and the beauty. Ichijo was a vampire. He had seemed so human and I realized as I blankly stared at him fighting of the rest of the vampires that he was risking his life to protect me.

Maybe not all vampires were evil. I juggled with the concept and considered the stories Shiki used to tell me, about good vampires that fought to control the bad ones. Back then I had cast it off as fiction, believing that vampires brought despair and anguish, but Shiki knew.

He knew because he was one.

Internally, I gasped at the conclusion my subconscious had conjured up for me but before I had time to really ponder about it, a deadly icy hand came across my mouth. I managed a stifled scream through the hand and the feeble noise was enough for Ichijo to hear. However, as he turned around, a pair of vampires sprung on him and he was engaged in another battle. He could not come to my aid.

"My Lord will be very pleased to see you," a bone-rattling voice whispered in my ear. I trembled and got by with another terrified cry.

In that instant, a gunshot fired and just as immediately, the vampire that held me captive turned into sand, small grains falling onto my lap. Turning my head towards the sound of the shot, I saw Hanaru with a gun in his extended hand, his expression the most dangerous I've ever seen him wore.

"What the hell was that?" I demanded when Hanaru ran up to me.

"I'm a vampire hunter," he stated simply.

He held out a bullet for me to see. "Anti-vampire bullet. Doesn't hurt humans." I only nodded, too shocked from the experience to speak properly.

"Are you okay?" he questioned, patting my body up and down making sure that everything was where it was suppose to be.

Aside from a few bruises and a bit of trauma, there was nothing of immediate attention. However I felt inclined to tell him about Ichijo. "Yes I'm fine but there was a vampire…" I trailed off as I indicated to the direction I last saw Ichijo. Yet, there was nobody there, only a sword stabbed upright into the sand, a piece of paper tiled to the hilt.

Hanaru grew worried again. "A vampire…?" he asked as I stood up and walked towards the blade.

"Yes, a vampire that…" I unattached the note on the hilt and pulled the sword out.

Opening the note, it read:

_Rima,_

_There are those lurking in the shadows, watching your movements. Please be careful. Shiki sends his regards._

_Ichijo_

The last sentence rang in my head, like chimes billowing in the wind. _Shiki sends his regards._

"That…?" Hanaru insisted, walking up to me, placing a hand on my shoulder. I had a feeling that wasn't the first time he had inquired for me to answer.

"That protected me…" My voice carried away with the wind as I watched the last peeking sun rays dip below the horizon.

_**.**_

A black-cloaked figure stopped in front of a small shop that partially hidden by taller buildings that surrounded it. The figure pushed the door open as a bell jingled above his head. The room was abnormally dark with a stillness that the man wasn't quite fond of, even if he could clearly make out those standing in the dark. Despite his discomfort, he stepped through the threshold and let the door click back into place before talking.

He pulled off his hood, revealing short light blonde hair. He was about to speak but a man with a commanding voice interrupted him. A voice that could control armies as he always said. He chuckled to himself at the irony; the joke wasn't very far off.

"Ichijo you're back." Pairs of eyes stared at him.

"Yes, Kaname-sama." Ichijo bowed slightly, feeling only a bit awkward at the pairs of eyes staring at him.

"_His _men came for her didn't they?"

"Yes."

Another voice chimed in, this one lined with worry but otherwise was impassive. "Did they hurt her?"

"No, the vampire hunter killed off the last one." He heard a small grunt of irritation from the person whom the voice belonged to.

The next voice that joined in sounded quite upset. Ichijo smiled when the person whom this voice belonged to ran a hand through this wavy blonde hair in annoyance. "I don't see why we even have to protect this stupid girl."

He was returned with a snarl from the second voice but Kaname-sama raised his hand and the room hushed.

We all looked at him for his answer. "Because, she's an important part of _his_ plan. That means she's an important part of my plan as well," he replied gravely. Everybody nodded in agreement, all questions answered. When Kaname-sama spoke, it was law.

* * *

[clasps hands together in utter happiness] :D Good job me, I am so proud of myself. Longest chapter yet guys, :D And getting longer I hope.

Lols time for some Author Rant~! Skip this if you feel like hurting my feelings...

So anyway, I was like totally reading my chappies from my first story and it suddenly occured to me that I've gotten so much better at writing. :D It made me super duper happy. I hope you guys think so too, as long as I dont' start degrading its all good ^^ Well actually now that I think about it...I don't have quite much to say about anything. Darn.

About the chappie, you guys should put your little nogins together and figure out who our mystery people are...hmmmm. Oh and also, I'm trying to line this story up with the actual VK storyline so like, its sorta a prequal to the VK manga ^^ I just hope this all works out, there are so many loopholes . But somehow I'll figure a way around them!

Wish me luck!

Happy trails/reading~! Again thanks for the mucho support, hugs for you all ^^ Reviews, as always, are loved and appreciated with kindness and hugs :D


	9. The Girl

The Girl – Chapter 9

A furious roar resonated throughout the crumbling tower. Those within earshot cowered in fear at the noise and looked at each other questionably. They were about to resume their activities when another shriek pierced through the passageway, making those closer to the sound cover their ears from the terrible sound. The cry lasted for a few mere moments before it stopped suddenly and ripple of fear and disgust passed through everybody. They all knew what had happened but none had the nerve to go up and confirm it for themselves. Finally a man shouldered his way through the scattered people on the steps leading up to the top of tower. When he reached the top, his hand hesitated for a second on the handle, contemplating whether it really was a good idea to go in. He sighed, knowing that if he didn't address the issue, many more screams would be heard later on. Pushing the rusty door open, the man immediately identified a potent smell. Blood. It wasn't the normal, rusty, day-old smell of blood either; this blood was from a fresh victim. Almost just as immediately, he saw a lifeless corpse slumped against the wall to his far right, blood still spilling from the ravaged neck. Again, the man hesitated for the slightest moment before stepping through the threshold as the door slammed shut behind him. He let himself be engulfed by the shadows, glad that his heightened sense of sight allowed him to see clearly in the dark. Peering into the gloom, the man identified a body sitting upright in a large rectangular casket. The body had no skin or hair; there were tendons, muscles, and ligaments of sorts wrapped around a bony skeleton. The man managed to surpass a shudder that ran down his spine at the sight. The body turned and the man found himself staring into one blue and one red eye, both filled with pure iniquity. The man abruptly remembered his place and knelt in front of the casket, eyes downcast.

He gathered the inner courage to speak when the body in front of him remained inexpressive. "Master Rido, you should be refueling your strength."

"I was merely having my lunch." The man couldn't help but advert his eyes back to the corpse, feeling a twinge of sadness that the poor man's life had to end in such a cruel twist of fate.

"Of course Rido, but we could have gotten your meal. You shouldn't have to exert yourself." e man

Rido emptily chuckled in front of him, spraying a few drop of blood onto the man's head. "I shouldn't have to, but how can I rely on you _imbeciles_ when you can't even detain a little girl?" Rido spat each word at him, each a dagger dipped in venom threatening to stab into his chest.

The man found himself quaking with fear at Rido's tone but shook it off promptly. Showing any signs of weakness was a one-way ticket to getting killed, and the man did not want his life to end just yet. "We are deeply sorry my Lord, but the boy was a more skilled vampire hunter than we imagined."

"Then the solution should be simple. Kill him first then get the girl."

"Of course Master Rido, I will dispatch the others immediately."

The man stood to get up but Rido spoke again, unexpectedly amused. "And should you fail, I'm sure you'll be able to handle it won't you, my dear?" It took a few moments before the man realized that it was not himself that Rido was referring to but to a slender girl standing on the other side of the casket. The girl smiled at Rido, who in turn tenderly kissed her hand, smearing blood on the fragile structure. Her raven black hair blended perfectly with the feathery hands of darkness that gripped the room, making it seem like as if she was only a floating face. She didn't seem at all daunted by Rido's presence and when she focused her gaze upon him, a small tremble rippled through his body. She had blood red eyes that were even deemed unnatural to a vampire like himself.

It was marking of a cursed child.

The girl glided past him and opened the door only an inch, letting a small sliver of light brighten the otherwise disheartening room.

The master's voice rang ominously in the air. "You won't disappoint me, right, Sachi?"

The man turned his head and looked at the girl, somewhat surprised by the sudden saddened expression she wore on her face. However, the emotion disappeared as swiftly as it had appeared and she soon wore the usual amused look on her face.

"Of course Rido-sama, I would never disappoint you." With that, she slipped through the open crack and lightly closed the door.

Turning back to Rido, the man stared at his master, bristling. He didn't understand why Rido could rely on a mere _human_ more than he could rely on the council. They were completely loyal to him and this, this insignificant _human_ could turn her back on Rido any moment.

Rido just smiled as if he knew exactly what the man was thinking. "Do not worry my loyal servant, she dares not to disobey me. I always get what I want."

_**.**_

Hanaru clutched my hand tighter as I felt all the sensation in my fingers completely disappear. He walked at a stiff pace, his gaze directly in front of him, unwavering. I shook our intertwined hands, requesting for my poor fingers to get some air, but his grip only hardened. I peered at his disgruntled face and sighed. I looked behind us towards the sandy terrain we had just left behind, sparse grassland beneath our feet. Small pebbles jabbed against my feet and I suppressed a need to stop and rub my aching foot. Silently, I cursed myself for not purchasing any type of footwear. Not that I would have had any time to do as such though. Hanaru had insisted that we leave immediately as soon as we got back to the inn. He had swiftly packed our bags and we left early in the morning, without a trace. And I, not wanting to upset him anymore than he already was, slipped the note into my pocket without him noticing. It now felt weighting inside the compartment, guilt raining down on me.

In the middle of my contemplation, I promptly stubbed my toe on a large rock and fell from the force. With our twined hands, Hanaru didn't have a time to react before he was pulled down with me as well. My bum made contact with the rocky ground first before my head knocked against the floor too.

I rubbed the back of my head, seeing stars blur my vision. "Ow, that's going to bruise in the morning." Already, I could feel a small bump forming underneath my palm. Above me, I heard a wincing sound that hadn't been uttered by my mouth. My breath caught in my throat as I found myself staring into Hanaru's deep green eyes. He gazed into my eyes as well, seeming to reach to the depths of my soul. It was the first time I realized just how contrasting we appeared. My dirt-crusted face was nothing compared to his smooth, clean skin. His hair was in perfect disarray, while mine was simply just plain untidy. He was absolutely gorgeous; I was still just a kid. Now I could see why girls tried to wrap him around their fingers when we stopped at towns. I could feel myself growing more and more unconscious under his jade-colored gaze. Still, we blinked at each other for several more elongated moments, not wanting to break the silence.

Instead, a dry cackle that belonged to neither of us made us turned our heads. Automatically, Hanaru was on his feet, moving in front of me in a protective gesture. I peered from behind his shielding stance and saw a beautiful redheaded woman walking into the open grassland from behind a neighboring tree. Looking closely, I noticed that her eyes were black, so black that you could hardly tell where her iris ended and her pupil stared.

She smiled, showing her two piercing fangs and I shrank back from the sight. "My, my, did I come at a wrong time?" she said in a slurred, amused tone.

Hanaru's eyes narrowed but it only caused the woman to grin broader. "Now somebody doesn't have a very good sense of humor."

"Go. Now." He reached inside his cloak, probably trying to get a hold of his gun.

"But, my dear, the fun is just beginning." She snapped her fingers and six other vampires appeared. A small rustling from the leaves of the nearby trees was the only sign that the vampires hadn't just generated out of thin air. They were all beautiful as well, with the same depthless black eyes that the woman had. But slowly, each pair of eyes that were staring at us was turning red, blood red.

A man that looked about Hanaru's age stepped forward, stretching out his hand towards me. "Our Master needs you Rima. If you come with us without any opposition, we'll be sure to leave your little friend here alone." At that, I narrowed my eyes as well. From his what seemed like his permanently devious expression, anybody could tell that he was lying.

They intended to rip Hanaru limb from limb with or without my surrender.

"Hell no," Hanaru answered brashly. With speed that must have taken years of training to achieve, he whipped out his gun and shot the two vampires closest to us. Their bodies shifted into sand and blew away without a second thought.

Now it was two to five. Scratch that, it was one to five.

The woman's expression faltered slightly before chuckling quietly to herself. All around us the other vampires snickered as well, somehow finding the death of two of their fellow comrades a laughing matter.

What sick monsters.

"I guess he's not playing around," cried one with spiky black hair.

"Then maybe we shouldn't either," cried another.

Then they attacked. The woman flung herself at us first while her companions blocked any escape routes that we might have had. Hanaru reacted just as quickly, lifting his leg to deal a hard kick to her stomach. She only stumbled back a few paced before recovering and raced at us again, this time with that vampire-like speed. I tried to follow her movements but they proved too insanely rapid for my weak human eyes to track. Hanaru, however, had no problem watching her actions, and dealt another hard blow to her stomach. The woman toppled to the ground, groaning and before she could recover this time, Hanaru aimed his gun at her chest and pulled the trigger. In a single shot, her body was nothing but sand. The demise of the woman seemed to snap some nerve in the other vampire's minds because they were all unexpectedly wearing deadly serious expressions.

Playtime was definitely over.

I cringed further behind Hanaru. Not that it really helped any, my back was exposed to two vampires who were securing the rear. I again felt an overwhelming sensation of uselessness pouring over me. Without warning, the four vampires left all sprang at Hanaru at the same time, probably planning to outnumber him. He dodged there attacks easily, but not without getting a scratch or two here and there. Somehow, as the fight progressed, I found myself outside of the ring the vampires had formed around Hanaru. Quickly, I ducked under a nearby weeping willow before any of the vampires realized that I wasn't hanging on to Hanaru anymore.

Four against one. Those were some intimidating odds I had to say. I would have only been a burden anyway. However, my guilty conscious kept bucking against me inside my head, telling me just how worthless I was. Nobody's a better critic than my good ol' brain. And besides, I knew that I was pathetic, insignificant. It was a fact of life I've had to deal with since the day I was born. Someday, I was going to have to get used to it. But as my eyes followed Hanaru as he blocking attacks from four vampires lunging at him from all sides, I couldn't help but feel like I owed it to him to do something about my failing heart. Two more gunshots were heard, and two more vampires fell with it. I pulled my legs against my chest, cradling my head between my knees. It was a futile to think that I could get my heart stronger. When I was younger, I would play with the few friends I had nearly everyday, running around the village square. Every time, I would have to sit out and watch after a few minutes because I had already ran out of breath. I tried everyday to last just a few minutes longer but no avail. How would this time make a difference?

_Because this time you could become a vampire,_ my subconscious mind rang out inside my head. I was about to speak out against such a ridiculous idea but I realized something. Vampires were fast, they were smart, and they were _strong_. I shook my head, the very possibility was unthinkable. Still, I couldn't help but wonder what it would be like, to be able to almost never get hurt, to be able to live decades without aging.

Two more gunshots brought me back to the fight, ruining any thought processes that I was conjuring up. Along with the sound, two vampires fell to the ground, dead. Hanaru may be astonishingly fast and strong, but even he had his limits. And he was close to reaching that limit. Sweat ran down his forehead and onto his back, drenching the already wet material even more. His cloak was on the ground a few feet away from him, tattered and long forgotten. There were multiple small cuts all long his forearms and a few plastered across his cheeks. He was breathing deeply as his two opponents continued to smirk. Unlike him, they looked perfectly fine. If it wasn't for their torn clothing, one could think that they were never even involved in this.

I could tell from the glint in their eyes that they had learned from the mistakes of their dead predecessors. They're movements were more thought out and they avoided Hanaru's kicks and gunshots with better accuracy than ever before. The taller of two ran at Hanaru head on, his hand with fingers extended like claws in front of him. Hanaru managed to dodge his attacker fairly well, getting a shallow cut across his hip. He visibly winced but ignored the pain and whipped around quickly, pulling the trigger on his gun on the unsuspecting man. He lay on the floor as a pile of sand within the next heartbeat. Because he had devoted his energy on only of the vampires Hanaru became unprepared for the other as she ran at him full speed, claws exposed. He didn't have time to turn around. She slashed him directly across the back, tearing his shirt and produced four large gash marks down his back. Blood spilled heavily from each of them as he cried out in intense pain.

"Hanaru!" I shrieked as he crumpled to the ground. The woman held a smug look on her face as she lifted up her arm, ready to deal the final blow.

_No._

I scrambled up from my hiding spot and ran to the two of them, only hoping that I wouldn't be too late. In a blindly fast movement, her arm lunged.

"Please, stop!" She stopped, her arm only a few inches from his bloody back.

I was panting as I walked up to her slowly, relieved that I had stopped her in time. "Please, stop," I said again, this time my voice barely above a whisper, "I'll come with you."

Casting a glance at Hanaru's fallen figure, I could only hope that he was still alive. "Just please don't hurt him anymore."

She turned towards me; obviously not worry about Hanaru trying to attack her anytime soon. "Hm, I'm glad that you finally see it our way," she purred. The woman extended her bloodstained hand, intending for me to take it. What she didn't know was that Hanaru, out of pure fortune, managed to half turn and pull the trigger on his gun. I clasped my hands over my ears as I watched as the woman slowly looked at her chest and gave out a small shriek before she crumpled to the floor as well.

I looked at the pile of sand at my feet, almost dazed at what had just happened. A small groan from below jolted me back as I rushed to kneel next to Hanaru's limp body, the blood still trickling dangerously from the four deep slashes. I scanned the grassland, hoping to find a town farther into the distance but all I saw was a dense forest. Taking a double take back to the forest, it gave me an idea. Standing up and taking a quick glance back at Hanaru's body, I ran as fast I could towards the forest. Often times, my family had been too poor to afford any real effective medicine so Mother would always use herbs and plants found in the forest not to far from our little cottage. I always used to go with her when she went to collect herbs, begging her to teach me which ones were which. The memories were becoming hazy but I could still vaguely remember the herbs my mother told me were used to treat injuries. I could only plead to the heavens that those plants could be found in this forest. With my heart about to lurch out of my chest, I reached the forest but I didn't allow myself to rest, time was ticking. Desperately, I hacked my way through the undergrowth, frantically searching for the right herb. Then I spotted it, a yellow flower that reminded me something of a daisy's cousin. Mother had told me that the flower's roots were extremely effective in cutting down healing time. Reaching down, I gently pulled on the stem of the flower, being careful to pull out the roots as well. I cradled the precious flower against my chest, glad that I had spotted the only one that had been growing on the forest floor.

"You, my friend," I said joyfully to the flower as I started sprinting back, "are going to save Hanaru."

I nearly toppled over when I got back to Hanaru's now unconscious body, skidding against the grassy field to stop myself as I rushed to his side. Taking the yellow flower's roots, I snapped them off and tossed the upper half aside. Usually, mother had always crushed the roots until it became pulpy but I didn't have any of the time or materials to do as such. I popped the roots into my mouth and started chewing, careful not to swallow a drop of the precious juice. When I felt the whole thing liquefy, I spat it onto Hanaru's back and with my bare hands, rubbed the makeshift ointment in. Hanaru let out a small groan but was soon out cold again. As soon as his entire back had been rubbed down, I ripped my cloak off my body and tore the fabric in half, wrapping the first around his treated wound and the second to secure it. Hanaru let out another moan but this time, it was less pained. I sighed in relief and said a quick thank you to Mother; the plant was working.

"Hanaru, can you stand up?" I whispered next to his ear. A few incoherent words fell out of his lip before I heard a muddled 'yes'. He grunted once and started lifting himself off the ground to confirm it. I hasty went to aid him and lent the little strength I could to support his body weight. Hanaru leaned heavily on me when he finally got himself up.

"Thanks," he managed to say, the very word making him exhausted.

I beamed at him, absolutely relieved that he was going to be all right. "No problem."

A small snap of a twig not to far away made me frown. Hanaru must have heard it as well because his head snapped up before letting out a small cry of pain. I scanned the area anxiously. Were there more vampires sent for me? With Hanaru in this state, we wouldn't last a chance. Again I heard another snap and whipped my head to where the sound was coming from. I caught a glimpse of raven black hair before the person ducked behind a tree.

"Who's there?" My voice was trembling with alarm. A girl around my age stepped out from behind the tree and both Hanaru and I stared at her with utter terror. She was small-framed and extremely thin, her skin a muted shade of gray as if she hadn't been out in the sun for the longest time. Even so, she was extremely stunning, her glossy black hair reaching down her back that framed her face well. Her beauty was astounding but that wasn't what made us frightened of her. The girl had dark red eyes, a color that imitated blood. However, it was far from red vampire eyes. When vampires became blood thirsty, their eyes became red, but it was only a light film of red over their regular eye color. If you examined closely, you could always tell the normal color of their eyes. But this girl, her eyes were pure red as if it was her natural eye color. She smiled at us and we both flinched, her teeth resembled that of any other human being.

She was human, but what kind of human was she?

-----------

DUN DUN DUN~! Lols, somehow I think I typed that in my last story .

Anyway, I'm totally flooding this story with OC's D: If you don't like OC's I'm so sorry. I promise the next story I write will purely be VK character...I think. Atleast I'll try REAL hard to do that. Btw, if anybody is a total nerd like me and wants to know what plant she used, it was a arnica which is like a flower in the sunflower family (I think) thats used to treat injuries. Yes, I actually looked a plant up...this story should be as realistic as possible. Even though its totally not even realistic. Ah well. It just makes me feel smarter ^^

I was actually quite worried that this chappie wouldn't be long enough because I thought I couldn't drag the fight scene out enough BUT I was soooo wrong. I actually had to cut of a few parts because it became way too long. So I just made it into two chapters instead of one! WHOOO~!

So yeah, people with red eyes are cool in my opinion, even though I've never seen somebody like. They exist though! I read it on wikipedia...:3 Wikipedia = my best buddy ^^

Alright I should get writing on the next chappie, its gonna be AWESOME...well in my head. But I bet when I write it down it'll be awesome too! Lols, I also realized that my begining chapters aren't as detailed as the latter ones...so I may edit them when I'm done with this story, but you know me. I'm SO LAZY :D

R&R, I adore those who do! Criticism is welcomed too ^^ Have a wonderful day~!


	10. The Friend

The Friend – Chapter 10

The girl held up her hands, showing that she was unarmed and harmless. The action didn't really calm the bubbling sense of dread Hanaru and I felt.

"I'm sorry if I frightened you both. I heard a terrible cry out of nowhere and came to check it out." She stepped forward again. Hanaru tried to move in front of me but even that simple step proved too much for him for he nearly doubled over. He let out a small cry of pain, moving his hand to his back to sooth his aching injury.

Gasping, the girl walked hastily to us, each of her steps looked like as if she were gliding over the grass. It was quite a paradox. She looked and acted almost as if she was a vampire and yet I was completely sure that she was 100% human. In any case, I stood my ground. There would be no use in trying to run away like this, it would only reopen Hanaru's wounds. Besides, the girl looked as if she had good intentions, despite her chilling appearances. Hanaru withdrew slightly when the girl grasped his arm but she persisted in the act and eventually helped him stand back up. I felt much better now that I only had to carry half his weight.

"I know of a town just beyond the forest. It should only be a half hour walk from here," she said, pointing in the direction of the dense woodland.

I nodded curtly stealing a glance at Hanaru telling him to keep his trap shut. I wouldn't allow him to die here. If Fate was granting me an opportunity, I was definitely going to seize it.

"My name is Sachi, what's yours?" she inquired as we started shuffling though the grass.

I contemplated for a second on whether or not I should tell Sachi my real name. I decided on the former, I mean, how much worse could it get? "Rima."

"Oh, that's a splendid name Rima!" the girl exclaimed, her red eyes flashing in the sunlight, "And yours?" She nudged Hanaru softly, which roused him from near unconsciousness.

"Hanaru," he mumbled, too much in distress to resist.

"Well Hanaru, once we arrive in town, my grandmother can fix you up in a jiffy." Sachi seemed fully of energy, apparently not noticing that we weren't much talkers.

Still, she continued to hold up the conversation even with our numbed silence. "Not that you really need it, your back seems to be healing just fine." She indicated to the blood-drenched cloak that clung to his skin. Sachi was right. The blood had more or less stopped by now and scabs were already starting to form underneath the material as far as I could see.

"You must have used Arnica roots, no?" She was quite the chatter.

I snapped up from my analysis of Hanaru's healing process. "Um, yes. How did you know?" As far as I could tell, there was never really a way of distinguishing what herbs you used for a single type of injury. By now we had reached the forest, the dense undergrowth and twisting branches deeming a nearly impossible feat to get through. Sachi marched in straight away, dragging Hanaru and I along with her.

Sachi softly laughed and that too sounded wonderful to my ears as she ducked below a large branch. "You must be new to these parts. Arnica is the only injury-treating plant that grows here." Her brows furrowed somewhat. "But never have I ever seen Arnica grow during this season. You must have been quite a lucky fellow to find something that rare."

"Uh, yes," I muttered. Sachi was really starting to get on my nerves with all her incessant chattering. She must have noticed my irritated expression because she closed her open mouth and concentrated on working ourselves through the many overhanging branches that smacked in our face. I noticed as I swatted leaves away from my face that the trail that we were talking appeared as if it was less thick than the surrounding forest. Sachi must have traveled to and from her town quite a bit to create such a path.

She suddenly answered my unspoken question, "I travel from my town a lot and I use this trail most of the time." It may have only been my imagination and internal fatigue but I swore that she sounded quite dismal when she spoke of her town. I didn't get a chance to ask her though because the forest suddenly gave away to a peaceful, abundant grassland. The rest of the forest encircled the large clearing and in the center stood a small town with what seemed like two guards posted at the entrance. What really caught my eye about this landscape was a single cherry blossom tree that stood next to the town and it was in full bloom. The distinct smell of the flowers reached my nose nearly instantly and I wasted no time to take a deep breath of air.

"So beautiful," I breathed, in awe at the tender scenery that I stood upon.

Sachi took a deep breath as well and Hanaru was conscious long enough to take in the scenery before he passed out again.

"It's been too long," she murmured. We both hoisted Hanaru's arms back on our shoulders and we walked swiftly to town.

_**.**_

"Halt," the heavier of the two guards exclaimed.

Sachi continued walking but the other guard blocked her way.

"Move," she spat, her red eyes full of venom. She looked extremely deadly now and by the way the guard that blocked her was cowering, he thought so as well.

The larger guard stepped in to help his scrawnier friend. "You're not allowed to stay here."

"I _live_ here."

"That's not what everybody else thinks."

"Who gives a donkey's behind about what you people think? This is my home and I intended to be treated as such."

"We don't want a cur–" The guard stopped for he was interrupted by another voice, an elderly voice that was beaten with age.

"Let her come in." The voice belonged to an aged woman that stood behind the two guards, her piercing gaze melting the guard's hardened exterior.

"As you wish Elder Chie," the guards both said grudgingly, moving aside to let us through. Without the two guards in the way, I had a much better view of this woman. Her hair was light gray and was pulled back into a neat bun with chopstick to stick it in place. Although quite aged, the woman looked full of life and authority. Her hazel eyes, although firm, softened into a loving expression as she saw Sachi.

Sachi released her grasp on Hanaru's shoulder, nearly sending me to the ground with the abrupt shift in weight. "Grandma, I'm back!" she cried, pulled herself into a tight embrace with the elder.

"Welcome back Sachi. I hope your travels have gone well," she cast her gaze on us and I couldn't help but straighten myself to attention, "And you've brought friends as well."

Grabbing Hanaru's arm again, Sachi presented the both of us in front her grandmother. "This is Rima and this is Hanaru," she said pointing to each of us as she said our names, "I found them just beyond the other side of the forest. He's hurt badly." She turned Hanaru's body so that his back was exposed to her grandmother.

The lady gasped and pointed a bony finger to a small hut in front of us. "Take him there and lay him on the bed. Strip the bandages off and I'll be back with healing ointments." We did as we were instructed, dragging Hanaru by his arms to the cottage.

Inside, with our combined strength, Sachi and I managed to lay Hanaru with his back up on the mattress that was situated on the far corner of the room. I undid the extensive knots in the cloak and gently pulled them off to reveal the four healing gash marks down his back. I managed to choke down my surprise. I had nearly forgotten exactly how extensive his wounds were. Again, I felt the same sense of uselessness washing over me as I sat against the wall next to the bed. This entire time, I had been able to cope with the searing pain in both my arm and legs from trying to sustain Hanaru's weight. Now that I could finally have a moment to myself, the reality of my exhaustion hit me like a tidal wave. I was shaking from the experience but I bit my bottom lip and decided to deal with it just a bit longer. For now, Hanaru was the one that need the medical care. Before long, Sachi's grandmother entered the hut, carrying fresh bandages and medicines of sort in one hand while holding an oil lamp in another. She set the lamp on the side of the mattress and see kneeled opposite of me next to Sachi.

She lightly ran her fingers along the deep markings, a troubled expression plastered clearly on her face. "I had no idea it was this serious."

I bit down on my lip harder. Would this woman think I was crazy if I told her what had made those slashes? Would she even go so far as to kick me out of her village? No, I concluded, she appeared trustable enough with my vital information. "Well you see Elder Chie, Hanaru was attacked by–"

"Vampires. I already know my dear."

I was shocked, how in the world could this woman know about the existence of those creatures? "But how did you know?" I felt myself stumbling over the words.

Elder Chie cast a quick glance at Sachi who was turning a deep shade of pink. "I'm surprised Sachi didn't tell you already. This is a vampire hunter village, dear." The elder's hazel eyes fell on me expectantly.

"A-a what?" I stammered, trying to comprehend what I had just heard.

"A vampire hunter village," the old woman repeated again with more emphasis, "Where family of vampire hunters live and train their children."

My mind was spiraling out of control. Vampire hunter village? I never knew such a thing existed. Granted, for the past six years of my life I've been learning a lot about the cold, cruel world we live in. I wanted to ask one of the many questions waiting to be answered inside my head but a soft mumble from the body on the mattress next to us brought us all back to the situation at hand. I clamped my mouth shut, reminding myself that right now it was all about Hanaru's recovery.

I watched patiently for the next hour as Elder Chie thoroughly examined the flesh wound and applied healing ointment on each. By the time she was satisfied with her work and began to bandage the cuts, my eyelids had already began drooping. The ache I felt in my arm and legs now had a steady throbbing sensation.

Elder Chie clapped her hands together in delight. "There, all finished darling. You'll be good as new tomorrow morning." Hanaru grunted in response and even in my beyond tired state, I could hear that his strength was already starting to return. Finally, I felt much of my distress lifted and I slowly allowed myself to sleep.

Faintly, I could hear the woman speak with Sachi, who had already fallen asleep awhile back. "Sachi dear, let's leave them to their rest. They must be exhausted."

I didn't have a chance to see or hear Sachi's response because my eyelids drooped down for the last time as I drifted into a deep slumber.

_**.**_

I was dimly aware of a gnawing sensation in my lower abdomen as I regained consciousness. Pushing the feeling aside, I continued to try to leech a few more minutes of my much-needed rest. To much of my disappointment, the sensation continued, stronger this time and I heard a soft rumble from my stomach.

My brows knitted together as I grasped my hungry stomach. "Quiet will you? I'm trying to get some rest."

It didn't listen and persisted in its consistent protesting. I sighed, giving in to the temptation of food and slowly lifted my eyelids. The little cottage was still dark, hints of sunlight pouring into the room from the entrance telling me it was the beginning of sunrise. I stood up gradually, letting the joints in my arms and legs pop as I stretched each muscle. My body felt stiff from the position I had slept in but well rested. My mind was newly refreshed after going days without restful sleep. I stole a glance to Hanaru who had shifted to sleeping on his side. His gashes were healing at a fast pace and I nodded, satisfied with the progress. I tiptoed to the doorway, a bit hesitant on leaving Hanaru in the hut alone. It was a silly thought; after all, this was a vampire hunter village. I should have felt more protected than ever staying here. With that mindset, I set out in search of breakfast.

Outside, with the absence of the sun, a chilly morning breeze swept over the village, causing me to rub my arms. I walked around aimlessly, trying to find the food my stomach so desperately craved. However, the streets were mostly empty, aside for a few people who cast almost angry-looking glances at me as they walked past. Eventually, after wondering around, I came across a clearing at the far end of town where a group of young children were scattered around and training. Having given up on my hope of food, I approached a group standing next to a wooden pole. They all stared at me suspiciously as I came closer but returned to whatever they were doing when they realized I was only observing. A boy a few years younger than me stepped closer to the pole, which was stuck firm in the ground, and raised his leg and smacked it against the pole, producing a dull thudding sound. The pole didn't budge. He did it again and again, smacking it harder and harder each time until on his fifth try, the pole fell to the ground. All the children around him looked fairly impressed and I knew that I was amazed at his strength. I lightly clapped but stopped with another glare from the children. As the boy refitted the pole back into the ground, my attention shifted to the group next to them, who where clearly strengthening their endurance. Both girls and boy ran barefooted through a set of obstacles before racing to hand a stick to their partner who did the same and handed it back. They did this several time without stopping and I couldn't help but gawk at their amazing stamina. Next to that group of children, another was learning how to dodge attacks. Adults swung at their partnered child while the child swiftly dodged, most of the time. Those who were quick enough were dealt a hard blow to either the stomach or cheek. I winced but was amazed at how they brushed off the attack as nothing and continued with the training. They were merely little children, no older than thirteen and yet they had the strength and speed of somebody twice their age.

It was startling how all of it was for the purpose of extinguishing vampires.

In the mist of my awe, cold fingers touched the inside of my palm, causing me to spin around in surprise. I visibly relaxed when I saw that it was only Sachi, a broad smile plastered on her face, the happiness of her expression offsetting her bone-rattling red eyes. She held a bowl of porridge in her other frail hand, my mouth automatically salivating as I looked at it. Sachi followed my gaze and laughed, holding up the bowl to my face.

"It's for you. I've been trying to find you all over the village," she explained as I grabbed the bowl out of her hands and started wolfing it down like a wild animal.

She eyed me for a second with a bemused look on her fair face before turning to observe the kids that I had a moment ago. Her eyes looked sad as she watched the children train. One boy looked up from his endurance practice and gave her a death stare before returning to his training. She just sighed and turned around. I did the same, feeling uncomfortable as more kids momentarily stopped their training to looked at us as the boy had.

I leaned over to Sachi, feeling their eyes drill holes into my head. "Are they always like this?" I whispered as I set the cleaned out bowl back in her hands.

"Whenever I come within a ten feet distance, yes."

My curiosity sparked. First it had been the guards at the entrance and now these kids. The only person who didn't seem to mind Sachi was her grandmother. "If I may ask, why is that?"

Sachi sighed and focused her eyes straight ahead, "It's a long story."

I looked back towards the rising sun. It would still be quite awhile before Hanaru would awaken. "We have time."

She nodded, absentmindedly agreeing. Her pale hand slipped into mine as she tugged me forward, bidding me to walk with her. I did as directed, matching my steps with hers.

Sachi took a deep breath. It was obvious she didn't relay her life story with many people, not that I was the one to talk. "The people treat me this way because I'm a cursed child." She took a peek at my reaction before continuing. "Those born with red eyes around these parts are considered to bring nothing but bad luck and calamity to anybody who associates themselves with the person. When I was born, my mother didn't believe in the nonsense that everybody around her told her. She thought I was a blessing and gave me this accursed name."

"But Sachi, something like that can't define you," I interjected.

She laughed coldly. "You would think that right? But when I was about seven, my mother contracted a fatal illness and died with in two days. I was devastated. She had been the only person that believed in a bright future for me."

Sachi's eyes grew darker and you could practically see the painful memories replaying themselves in front of her eyes. "After her death, everything changed. I knew my father always hated me but he loved my mother so he kept his feelings to myself. However after my mother's death, he neglected me and blamed me for bringing a curse upon her. He didn't give a shit about what happened to me. I had to learn how to do everything by myself or I'd die."

When Sachi stopped to take another breather, tears were forming in her eyes and I felt the urge to squish her in a tight hug. However she persisted in her story. "It was only a few years later when he died too. I was only ten at the time. And nobody cared that I was an orphan. I spent most of my time trying to get by in the small hut my parents had left." Sachi spat on the ground, her teeth ground, fury radiating through her eyes. "All of them wanted me dead and I knew it. They were all afraid that the same fate would befall them if they related themselves with me. It's because of that fear that I was never trained to become a vampire hunter, no teacher wanted to train me. They all left me to rot."

I watched Sachi slowly unclench her tightened fists and her whole frame visibly relax. "Elder Chie took me in when I was 13. She took care of me and made me felt like I belonged. She acted like a real grandmother to me. She's the only person in this god-forsaken town that gives a flip about what happens to me. That's why I decided to travel." I thought I heard a tinge of anxiety in her voice but it may have just been my imagination. By this time we had stopped at the front of the village, sun rays beginning to peak over the horizon.

"So, what do you think?" Sachi eyed me expectantly. Just by looking in her eyes I knew that she didn't want my pity. All her life she'd only been judged and harassed because of her appearances and a silly old legend.

Like me, she had been hurt and betrayed.

I knew I could give her something that we both needed. Friendship.

Grasping her small shoulder, I looked Sachi directly in the eye, my voice unwavering. "I think you need a friend."

-------------

Why do I come up with the cheesiest title names? D: Note to self: Come up with better titles in the future.

Lols, anyways, people! I'm quite dissapointed in the amount of reviews! D: It makes me very sad, which is probably why is chapter is...not interesting. Its just background about Sachi that you need for the epic ending :D And btw Sachi means blessed or lucky in Japanese, I totally did my research!

Like I said, epical ending coming up. :D I'm so sad this story is gonna end soon. Oh well, I already have another for my next story! And I'm sure I can make it all VK characters this time :]

So uhh I got not much else to say except for the fact that I update alot faster o.o Its scary ik, I'm just so dedicated.

Which is why you guys should REVIEW. I would beg but that would seem not cool.


	11. Author's Note

**Author's Note! Please read!**

As of now, **Untitled **is DISCONTINUED. I'm really sorry to those who actually enjoyed the story but I refuse to keep writing it. For me atleast, its gotten overly boring and forcing myself to keep writing chapters would be a huge waste of my time. So the most logical thing to do would be to discontinue the story. Again, very sorry to those who were waiting for the next and last chapter but it was going to be epically boring anyway. If there really are enough people who want to read the last chapter, I may find some time to finish it and post it up. Given that I have time...

Again, SO SORRY! :(

However, on a brighter note, you can read my other stories, it would make me happier ^^

Thanks to those who supported this story to the very end, but alas, all good (or in this case, completely horrid) things come to an end :)

My best regards to you all~! Have a great summer!


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